North Georgia Arts Guild – Carol Conti

North Georgia Arts Guild: Carol Conti – Versatile Art Teacher and Watercolor Artist

By Tricia Moore

Our featured artist for the month of June is Carol Conti, who has been a member of NGAG for the last three years. Carol’s lifelong love affair with art started at the tender age of four when her mother cut some geometric shapes from a candy box for her to play with, and she started arranging the shapes to create images she was familiar with - like houses and dogs. By the time she was in the third grade, she had decided on a career in art, stating that she wanted to be an art teacher when she grew up! As a teacher of art, Carol has worked in and taught many different mediums, including watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastels and pottery. However, her medium of choice has always been watercolor. When asked why she chose watercolor as her favored medium, she said, “For me, the unexpected and ‘happy accidents’ of the medium give me an incentive to find a new way of solving a problem. The result might be something I never even considered.” While many artists see this difficulty in controlling the medium as a disadvantage, Carol treats it as something positive and beneficial and uses it to her advantage. Carol has 40 years experience as a teacher and has taught all ages of students in varied settings. As a school-based art teacher, she has taught in elementary, middle school, high school and college settings. Outside the school system, she has taught at art centers, private adult parks, workshops, and private lessons - which she still teaches. She earned her B.A. in Art Education at Southern Connecticut State University and her M.A.L.S. at Wesleyan University to prepare her for her career as artist and teacher. The subject matter of most of Carol’s work is landscapes, many with architecture as an integral part of them. When asked why this is her favorite, she explained that through this subject matter her work can express her delight in painting the illuminated and shadow areas. She continued by stating, “Whether it is light catching the peaks of the mountains or sunlight bathing the side of a building, I am fascinated with the effects of light on a surface and the shapes of color values juxtaposed to each other.” Artists through the ages have been fascinated by the effect of light on their subject matter, whether it be portraiture, still life or landscapes. But landscapes provide an opportunity and challenge that the others do not due to the everchanging natural outdoor light. Carol’s paintings express the excitement and enthusiasm with which she faces this challenge. In addition to her landscape paintings, Carol has explored other art styles, which led to her “Mandala Series.” She explained that the series was inspired by the mandala, which is a symbol of ancient India representing unity and

Tricia Moore is a retired teacher, having taught both English and art in public and private school settings. She is currently an active member of the NGAG and has held several positions on the board. With her background in both art and writing, she feels that writing the NGAG featured artist article in The Georgia Mountain Laurel is a good fit and something that she will greatly enjoy doing.

wholeness. “The brightly colored shapes of plants, flowers and animals again reflect my interest in nature and light. Each shape interlocks and interacts with each other forming a never-ending design. From a distance, it is only a pattern but when you come close, the fun begins as the viewer interacts and finds the recognizable images,” Carol said.

Carol has also been involved in the Macon County Art Association and Uptown Gallery on and off since 2005. When she moved permanently to Franklin, NC in 2016, she became more active and over the years has held the position of President and two Vice-President positions in this organization. When asked about her statement or philosophy regarding her love for and desire to create art, Carol’s answer gives us a wonderful insight into her as a person and an artist who uses her talent and skills to make the world a better place. “What is exciting to me,” she states, “is the process of creating an art piece. To have an idea and see it evolve on paper or canvas is so rewarding. Letting the piece go after completion for someone else to enjoy gives me great satisfaction. There is so much pain in this world, I feel God gave me this ability to create works of beauty so I can gift it back; whether the viewer experiences joy seeing my work or students forgetting their problems for a moment while learning to express themselves in a class setting.”