Caroline M. Young

“My intention as a painter of abstract art is to share a sense of wonder, curiosity, and joy with the viewer.”

Color is at the heart of my work—constantly in conversation with shape, line, and space. Within these relationships, forms begin to surface: fleeting suggestions of animal and human figures that invite you to imagine, interpret, and build your own narrative. At the same time, I’m painting mine—guided by an enduring fascination with mystery, nature, spirituality, wilderness, and the wild, untouched places I long to roam. I travel as I paint, letting place, light, and atmosphere quietly influence each canvas.

Intuition leads my decisions, and I follow it toward freedom of expression and a felt sense of flow. In that state, painting becomes both energized and meditative—a focused, joyful immersion where time falls away. As Brian Rutenberg says, “Art happens when the intellectual and visceral collide head-on at 200 mph; when thinking and feeling smash so violently into one another that they fuse into a third thing.” That collision—between thought and feeling—is where I often find the most honest work.

Painting, for me, is an ongoing process of exploration and discovery. It keeps me a student: experimenting, staying unattached to outcome, and remaining open to surprise. The freedom to explore and protect a childlike sense of wonder is essential. As Michael Mew writes, “The meaning of a piece often becomes apparent only in the end. It’s like finding a secret message that you unknowingly sent yourself.” I trust that unfolding. Making art is my conversation with the universe—an exchange of questions, signals, and revelations—until something unexpected and true arrives on the canvas.

Curriculum Vitae

1977
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Emory University,
Atlanta, Georgia

Education

​2001
Fine Arts Program in Fine Arts
Sandhills Community College
Southern Pines, North Carolina

2004
Classical Design
The Academy of Classical Design
Southern Pines, North Carolina

2010
Photography
Santa Fe Photography Workshops
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Galleries

current representation

Mirrorball Gallery
Tryon, North Carolina

Gray Man Gallery
Pawley's Island, South Carolina

2025
Mirrorball Gallery
Tryon, North Carolina

Exhibitions


Art Council of Moore County
Southern Pines, North Carolina


Upstairs Art Space
Tryon, North Carolina


Sweetwater Coffee Shop
Dillon, Montana

​Bozeman Library Art Show
Bozeman, Montana

Juried Shows

Grace Art Gallery
Mills River, North Carolina

The Painting Center
New York, New York

Spartanburg Library Art Show
Spartanburg, South Carolina

Jones Gallery
Kansas City, Missouri