Carolyn Gilligan

Carolyn Gilligan is a life long watercolorist. She says, "Shivers ran down my spine when my second grade teacher demonstrated painting, and I have painted ever since!" In college and graduate school, she minored in art and is certified to teach art. Ms. Gilligan reflects: "Watercolor has always been my great love ... when I paint, I feel as if my hands are somehow overtaken and I feel in touch with places inside that I cannot reach in any other way. This creative life force that flows through me makes me feel fully alive and peaceful at the same time."

For many years, she has been very private about this part of her life, feeling an intimate relationship with what she paints. “My painting is very intuitive. I use my gut instinct! A leap into the unknown . I usually have a general goal ( often connected with the sea!) But I don’t know where I want to go! Being too conscious can lead me astray. It’s better if I go with my gut instinct.”

Her paintings are a reflection of her interest in children (she was a kindergarten teacher) and the land and skyscapes she experiences as she bikes, hikes or cross-country skis. The ever changing panoramas of nature and movement reveal infinite possibilities for interpretation.

Gilligan's paintings are fluid and impressionistic representations of these moments in time. Her colors flow from intense darks to gentle pastels. There is a free, refreshing feel to her growing body of work.