Biography
Classical realism painter Carin Gerard infuses her experiences, travels and education into each work of art. Utilizing color theory and techniques of the Italian and Spanish masters, Gerard captures a singular moment with astounding skill and grace. Her work blends the classical realism of the Renaissance era with the spirit and spontaneity of contemporary art. It is a distinctive style that combines the wonder of light and interplay of shadow.
Born in Santa Monica, CA, Gerard started her formal artistic training at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She then began travels to Europe, where she found inspiration in the great museums of Rome, Venice, Florence, London, Paris and Amsterdam through the timeless beauty of the old masters. Determined to keep expanding her artistic horizons and to paint
in a style that had more meaning and depth, Gerard moved to the Chianti region of Tuscany, just south of Florence, Italy. For two years, she studied classical realism with Charles H. Cecil, whose art Academy is one of the most highly acclaimed Florentine ateliers. While studying with Cecil and living in a 19th-century Chianti farmhouse, Gerard created a series of eighteen paintings titled: Quattro Stagioni. The series incorporated the four seasons, capturing the breathtaking landscape of the surrounding countryside and the charm of the Tuscan villages. Quattro Stagioni had a successful exhibition at Studio Restauro in Florence, in 1996.
Gerard’s career flourished quickly, with her acceptance to the prestigious John Pence Gallery in San Francisco, Calif., in 1997. Gerard has also exhibited at the Eleanor Ettinger Gallery in New York, New York, and at the Diane Nelson Gallery in Laguna Beach, Calif. In December 2001, Gerard was chosen to represent the United States in the Biennale Internazionale Dell'Arte Contemporanea in Florence, Italy. In 2008, she was selected to represent still life artists in an exhibition titled Contemporary Still Lifes at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara. In 2011, Gerard continued to develop her technique by completing a course at the Grand Central Art Academy in New York under the tutelage of Graydon Parrish on the Munsell Color Theory. Her most recent series including Organic Origins, Inner Beauty and Connectivity showcase Gerard’s technical prowess utilizing this complex theory. She works from an equation for each color to create a string of values, which eliminates conspicuous contract and fosters a balanced composition.
At present, Gerard is exhibiting with John Pence Gallery in San Francisco, Calif., and Southern California Arts Projects & Exhibitions (SCAPE) in Corona Del Mar, Calif. She has also had the opportunity to paint several large-scale private commission pieces, which is a facet of her work that her collectors welcome and she is excited to explore. Gerard is featured frequently in trade and consumer publications, as well as a wide range of media outlets. Her inspiration still flourishes from European influence, and she returns to Florence, Italy several times a year where she paints from her studio in a restored 14th century palazzo—Palazzo Tornabuoni—once owned by the Medici family. The palazzo itself is a piece of art history manifested through its magnificent frescoes. Living and painting here, as well as from her stateside home in southern California, rouses Gerard’s creativity while nourishing her soul, allowing for the truest expression of her artist self.