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Carol Denn and Keri Joy Colestock are now friends Feb 20, 2011

Carol Denn updated their profile Jun 12, 2010

I am...: a French and American emerging mixed media collage artist based in the UK. Having grown up in historical Yorktown, VA and now living and working from my studio near Bath, history and storytelling have become a vibrant part of my paintings.

About my artwork: I am creating oil paintings with collage on linen canvas which range from mantelpiece size to A3 and A4. The raw linen canvas remains visible and a feature in this work. I create an outline using as few marks or brush strokes as possible while maintaining an image that is instantly recognisable. I create narratives with paint, collage, fabric, stencils and objects around a central theme such as nature, memories and childhood.

I am also interested in creating different visual planes by mixing flat stencil with hand painted elements with tactile objects like keys, bees or fabric in my paintings.

References to nature can be found throughout my work with found objects such as bees or depicting antlers in paint in response to the growing concern the world is facing with regards to the environment. Bees in particuliar in my work are a reference to the rapid decline in the bee population which is alarming as they pollinate a majority of the crops we eat.
Alongside having a strong graphic sense probably from my degree in Communications there is a storytelling element in each of the paintings. Some of the collage elements in this work are very personal and others have different symbolic meaning depending on how the viewer interprets them such as rusty keys or butterflies. This participation of the viewer to create their own narrative based on the meaning they bring to the collaged objects is what makes these works different for everyone.