Originally, Carole viewed art as essentially a commercial occupation. Her degree in Design & Communication in 1996 at the Ichthus Polytechnic in Rotterdam, started her off as a graphic artist. However, her greatest pleasure and fullfillment came from creating impressions of things that fascinated and inspired her personally, non-commercial artworks that captivate the viewer.

Art had at first been primarily the nuts and bolts of a fast-paced job at an advertising agency in her native Holland. Then, in the summer of 2000, she moved to the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The initial culture-shock of moving from the crowded Dutch city to rural America changed not only her life, but her view of life itself. When she saw the beauty of nature around her, she knew she could never go back.

Studying oil painting with Joe Adams (Adamo), a well known and respected painter in Painter, Virginia, has lifted her work to a new creative and technical level. The technique of "glazing" (transparant layers of oil paint on top of an underpainting) gives her paintings a three-dimensional look and together with a detailed "handwriting"  she tries to capture the natural beauty of still lifes, flowers, landscapes and animals.

Besides at local art shows (f.e. Harvest Festival, Kiptopeke, Eastern Shore Art League member show, Melfa) Carole's impressions in oil are also on display at Turner Sculpture in Onley, Stage Door Gallery in Cape Charles and at the Mariah Christian Galleries in Onancock.

An international painting competition in March of 2002 in Florence, Italy has been a professional experience that continues to inspire her. After painting with people from all over the world in the center of Renaissance art and taking home two awards she will continue to put her impressions in oil....