Carol Bouville site

Carol Bouville Watercolor, Collage and Mixed Media

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

As a native of the Washington area, I am very happy to be back after living in France for 18 years and then outside New York City until 1992.

While living near Paris, I earned a Master’s Degree at the Sorbonne in American Literature. For many years, I taught English and worked as a translator, but I have always been interested in art and often sketched for pleasure. I became self-educated in art history by visiting many of Europe's major museums. I have traveled extensively in Europe, and have gone to many countries in Asia, Africa, and South America. First-hand observation of other cultures raises awareness, stimulates curiosity, and enriches one’s life. As an artist I express these experiences in my work, no matter what the subject matter. My surfaces are colorful, active, and energetic. I paint that way because that is how I see life.

After moving to New York and working in marketing for seven years, I lost my job due to the recession in 1991. On an impulse, I bought one paint brush, some student-grade watercolors, and just started painting. It became a passion. I started taking classes and working hard to improve my technique. I consider myself to be a natural watercolorist, because I never tire of watching the colors flow together on a wet surface and of seeing the beauty of light reflecting through the layers of transparent color. My subject matter tends to focus on landscapes, street scenes, and florals. I also love experimenting with collage and mixed media.

Since coming to Gaithersburg, I have studied extensively at Montgomery College, with independent teachers (Phil Metzger, Joe Mayer, Dave Daniels, Firouzeh Sadeghi), and at week-long workshops with such well-known artists as Gerald Brommer, Stephen Quiller, Jean Uhl Spicer, Judy Wagner, Frank Webb, and Barbara Nechis. In the fall of 2002, I was accepted into Potomac Valley Watercolorists and the Washington Water Color Association. In March, 2003, I was juried into the Baltimore Watercolor Society as a signature member. I have also been teaching watercolor classes in my home studio for the past six years, as well as watercolor and collage workshops at local art organizations. My work is shown and purchased from local galleries, art society and association shows, and outdoor art events.

I would like to engage the viewer as if he or she were coming along with me as I explore a subject. I believe that the purpose of art is to communicate feelings, experience, and knowledge, so that the viewer and the artist are able to connect on some level that enriches us both.

PLEASE VISIT MY NEW WEBSITE: www.carolbouville.com

PARTIAL LIST OF SHOWS AND EXHIBITIONS

2008

Baltimore Watercolor Society exhibit at Glenview Mansion, Rockville, January; Selected three-artist exhibit City of Gaithersburg, Kentlands Mansion, March; Juried PVW exhibit, Strathmore Hall, April; Show of recent collage works, Framer’s Choice Gallery, Kentlands, April-May; Juried outdoor art exhibit sponsored by VisArts, Rockville, May. Future exhibits to include PVW weekend show at St Andrew’s Church, Arlington, VA, Nov.1-2.

2007

Baltimore Watercolor Society Mid-Atlantic Regional Juried Exhibit, April; Kensington Labor Day weekend exhibit, Honorable Mention, September; Gaithersburg Fine Art Association Member Show, September-October; Washington Water Color Association juried member exhibit, No-Dec; Selected three-artist exhibit, City of Gaithersburg, Kentlands Mansion, Nov-Jan; Selected four-artist exhibit, Ratner Museum, Nov.-Jan., 2008

2006

Two-artist exhibit, Ristorante Frascati, June-August; Solo exhibit Bistrot Lepic, Washington, DC, March-May; Washington Water Color Association, March, Honorable Mention; PVW group exhibits, Quiet Waters Annapolis, August; Cafe Monet, October; WWCA group exhibit Friendship Heights, December.

2005

Exhibit of Recent Works, Cafe Monet, Kensington, December; Rockville Arts Place Juried Member Show, July-August; Solo exhibit, Framer’s Choice Gallery, Kentlands, June 13-July 5; Gaithersburg Fine Art Association Juried Member Show, May-June; Washington Water Color Association Juried Member Show, March.

2004

Rockville Art League Juried Member Show, Kentlands Mansion, Honorable Mention, Dec., Women’s Watercolor Workshop Group Show, City of Gaithersburg, July; Gaithersburg Fine Art Association Juried Member Show, May; Potomac Valley Watercolorists, Green Springs Park, Annandale, VA, May; Baltimore Watercolor Society, Gaithersburg Arts Barn, April.

2003

Rockville Art League Juried Member Show, Dec., Honorable Mention, Collage. Rockville Art League Summer Member Show, June, 1^st Place, Watercolor; Gaithersburg Fine Art Association Juried Member Show, April, 2^nd Place, Collage & Mixed Media, Honorable Mention, Watercolor; Rockville Art League Juried Member Show, May, Honorable Mention, Collage.

2002

Rockville Art League Juried Member Show, Dec.; Solo exhibit , City of Gaithersburg, Nov. 18-Jan. 20, 2003. Exhibit at Framer’s Choice Gallery, Gaithersburg, Jan. Feb.; Strathmore Juried Member Show, “Remembrance”, Jan.-Feb.

2001

Gaithersburg Fine Art Association Annual Juried Member Show, 2 Honorable Mentions, Watercolor and Mixed Media, Dec. 2001-Feb. 2002; Solo exhibit, Bistrot Lepic, Washington, DC, Nov. 2001-Jan. 2002; Solo exhibit, offices of the Mayor of Rockville, August-October; Exhibit at the Rockville Civic Center reserved for award winners from Rockville Art League Juried Member Show, June; Solo exhibit, Barnes & Noble, Rockville, May; Montgomery County Delegation offices at the Maryland House of Delegates, Annapolis, MD, Jan.-April. Selected group exhibit, City of Gaithersburg at the Kentlands Mansion Dec.2000-March 2001.