Carol Burns. Artist Statement.
I am interested in people (Every single individual on this planet is a multifaceted being comprising many different identities with no single one providing the ultimate key to unlocking their character) and I find our internal and external narratives captivating. After all, we dream in narrative, daydream in narrative, remember, anticipate, hope, despair, believe, doubt, plan, revise, criticise, construct, gossip, learn, and love by narrative. It enables us to share our internal world in a meaningful way and helps us make sense of the external world we inhabit. Finding a visual means of examining those narratives, and the abstract ideas contained within them, is endlessly fascinating to me and it's those inner landscapes that I aim to capture within my work.
My paintings are not designed to be representational. I start with an idea or concept which I then explore through the layering of paint, intuitive mark making and collage. My process is a constant balancing act between control, instinct, reacting to the accidental and deliberately adding elements to provide contrast and interest. The end result is a work which is rich with history, colour and pattern all of which combine to capture the essence of the initial idea. Each piece is intentionally left open to interpretation which means that it is only complete when the viewer applies their own experiences and narratives to it.
I am a member of the Artist Network initiative at the Royal West of England Academy of Art, a Visual Artists Association working artist, and an Artist Ambassador for the charity Mortal and Strong.
Bio.
2025
Open Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy of Art, Bristol. (6th of September - 28th December)
Secret Postcard Auction, Royal West of England Academy of Art, Bristol. (24th October - 6th November)
Voices Of Dissent: Art and Politics, Insights of an Eco Artist Publication, Portugal.
Abstraction, Swindon Open Studios, The Hop Inn, Swindon.
Ilkley Art Open, Ilkley Manor House, West Yorkshire.
Colour, International Juried Competition, Teravarna. (Honourable Mention Award)
Workshop & Exhibition, Net+, The National Trust, Swindon.
Open Exhibition, The Society Of Women Artists, Mall Galleries, London.
The Silent Web - A Mycelium Story, Swindon Fringe Arts Festival, Carriage Works, Swindon
Wonderfully, Remarkably Mundane, (Photography), Swindon Fringe Arts Festival, Wythern Theatre
14th Abstract, International Juried Competition, Teravarna. (Talent Prize Award)
Mortal & Strong, Sidings, Waterloo, London.
Sussex Art Fair, Goodwood Racecourse, Chichester.
Palette x Palate, Old Bank, Dungarvan, Ireland.
Pop Up Gallery, McArthur Glen Designer Outlet, Swindon.
Artist Network Open Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy of Art, Bristol.
The Secret Postcard Auction, Royal Cambrian Academy of Art, Conwy.
28 (mundane) Days Later (Photography), The Little Hop, Swindon.
EmpowerHER: Creativity, Courage & Magical Thinking, CasildART Contemporary, London.
eXi, Crypt Gallery, St Pancras, London.
Festival Of Tomorrow, Pop Up Gallery, McArthur Glen Designer Outlet, Swindon.
Festival Of Tomorrow, Steam Museum, Swindon.
Externalising The Internal, Haus A Rest, Issue 56.
Light In The Dark, BobCat Gallery, London.
Open Exhibition, Royal Cambrian Academy of Art, Conwy. (Highly Commended Award).
VAA Art 500 - Shortlisted.
Homiens - Promoted Artist.
Homiens - Meet The Artist.
VAO - Longlisted.
VAA Artist Of The Year - Longlisted.
VAA International Exhibition and Scholarship Prize - Shortlisted.
Jacksons Art Prize - Extended Longlist.
2024
Here + Now, Oxmarket Contemporary, Chichester.
Loneliness and Poetics 2024 London Contemporary Art Review, Gallery Nat, London. (Excellence Award)
The Secret Postcard Auction, Royal West of England Academy of Art, Bristol.
The Path, Palazzo Pisani-Revedin, Venice Biennale, Venice.
Stone & Soar, Butley Mills Studio, Suffolk.
A Collection of Abstracts, Swindon Open Studio’s, The Little Hop, Swindon (Solo)
Mortal & Strong Selected Artist, Mortal & Strong Project, London (Exhibition 2025)
Summer Open, Artizan Gallery, Torquay. (Award Winner)
Summer Show, Fox Yard Gallery, Stowmarket.
Open Exhibition, The Society Of Women Artists, Mall Galleries, London.
101 Contemporary Artists & More, Book available via CoA Gallery, Tbilisi, Georgia.
Beyond A Joke!, Swindon Fringe Arts Festival, Artsite Postmodern, Swindon.
Artizan Women's Open Exhibition 2024, Artizan Gallery, Torquay.
Women In Art, CoA Gallery, Tbilisi, Georgia.
Spring Awakening, Fox Yard Gallery, Stowmarket.
Open Exhibition, The White Horse Gallery, Marlborough.
Fraction, Fox Yard Gallery, Stowmarket. (Best Painting Award)
EmpowerHER: Creativity, Courage & Magical Thinking, CasildART Contemporary, London.
Open Exhibition, Royal Cambrian Academy of Art, Conwy.
Un/Familiar, Fox Yard Gallery, Stowmarket.
Homiens Art Prize - Highly Commended.
VAA Artist Of The Year - Longlisted.
VAO 2024 - Longlisted.
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2023
Open Exhibition, ING Discerning Eye (Selected by Chris Levine), Mall Galleries, London.
Open Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy of Art, Bristol.
Open Exhibition, Royal Cambrian Academy of Art, Conwy.
Open Exhibition, CMAF, Calne.
A Collection of Work, Swindon Open Studio’s, The Hop Inn, Swindon (Solo)
Open Exhibition, The White Horse Gallery, Marlborough.
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2022
Open Exhibition, Royal Cambrian Academy of Art, Conwy.
Abstraction, The Hop Inn, Swindon (Solo)
A Collection of Work, Magnum, Swindon (Solo)
A Collection of Work, The Little Hop, Swindon (Solo)
Contemporary Art Fair, Surrey.
A CV detailing previous years work is available on request.
