Carol Sutton (artist) facts for kids

Carol Lorraine Sutton (born 3 September 1945) is an artist from Norfolk, Virginia, USA. She now lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Carol Sutton is known for her paintings and drawings. Her art has been shown in many art shows, both by herself and with other artists. She is especially known for how she uses bright and bold colors in her work.

Carol Sutton's Early Life and Education

Carol Sutton grew up in a log cabin by the ocean in Virginia. Her father designed tools for boats, and her mother was an artist. Carol showed artistic talent from a young age, even winning an art award when she was a child.

She studied art at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia. She earned her degree in 1967 and also received special awards and a scholarship to study in New York City.

Later, Carol Sutton continued her studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). There, her teachers introduced her to the works of famous artists like Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland. She earned her Master of Fine Art degree in 1969.

Carol Sutton's Early Career as an Artist

In 1967, when Carol Sutton was 22, some of her early artworks became part of the Jacob Kainen Collection at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art. These were a series of prints called 'The Artist As A Young Woman - Picabia'.

In 1969, she met another artist named Eva Hesse. Carol Sutton also created a large sculpture that was bought by the Weatherspoon Art Gallery in North Carolina.

Carol Sutton was offered a solo art show in New York City. However, she decided to move to Canada instead. There, she married sculptor André Fauteux. They have two children together.

While living in Canada, Carol Sutton received several grants from the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. These grants helped her continue her art. She had many exhibitions across Canada and showed her work in galleries in Montreal and Toronto. In Toronto, she also worked with electronic music composers to create art and music together.

Famous art critics like Clement Greenberg and Karen Wilkin praised Carol Sutton's work. She was also influenced by artists like Anthony Caro and Helen Frankenthaler, who often visited her studio. In 1974, she met artist Jack Bush, and her work has been shown in exhibitions related to his influence.

In 1977, Carol Sutton had her first art show in Canada. The next year, she had her first solo show in New York City. In the USA, her art caught the eye of Kenworth Moffett, a curator at The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He bought her painting 'Alvertie' for the museum's collection. He also included her in a traveling art show called The New Generation: A Curator's Choice in 1980.

Years later, Carol Sutton returned to New York to show her paintings. She received a special grant from the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation to support her art.

Carol Sutton's Later Career and Style

Carol Sutton became well-known for her large, abstract acrylic paintings. She often painted these by laying the canvas directly on the floor. Her art is connected to a style called Lyrical Abstraction, which is part of Color Field Painting. This style focuses on large areas of color.

Her smaller artworks on paper often have unique shapes and extended edges, sometimes cut in wavy patterns. In the 1970s, she became famous for her "fan" paintings and her long, horizontal pictures.

Carol Sutton was encouraged by art critic Michael Fried, whom she met in 1986. She participated in several art workshops, including one in Barcelona, Spain. A grant from the Canada Council allowed her to travel to Spain and France to study ironwork. This trip inspired a series of paintings called 'The Spirit Balcony Paintings'.

Art historian Roald Nasgaard described her as "Always a fluid and luscious painter of great gusto, comfortable with intimacy as well as the grand scale." This means she paints with a lot of energy and can create both small, detailed works and very large ones.

Major Group Exhibitions Featuring Carol Sutton

• 1968: Gallery of Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, North Carolina (sculpture)
• 1969: "Art on Paper", Weatherspoon Art Gallery, Greensboro, North Carolina (paper works)
• 1976: "Olympiad XXI", Montreal, Quebec (paintings)
• 1976: "Abstractions", Gallery-Straford, Stratford, Ontario, Canada; Canadian Cultural Centre, Paris, France; and Canada House, London, England (painting: "Untitled :Tropical Series")
• 1977: "New Abstract Art", Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
• 1978: "Certain Traditions: Recent British and Canadian Art" (paintings) – This show traveled across Canada and the United Kingdom.
• 1978: "Carol Sutton and Thomas Downing", William Edward O'Reilly Inc., New York, New York
• 1980: "The New Generation: A Curator's Choice by Kenworth Moffett" – This show started at The Andre Emmerich Gallery in New York and then toured Europe.
• 1981-1982: "The Heritage of Jack Bush: A Tribute" (paintings: 'Raleigh Red' and 'Pink Float') – This show traveled to many locations in Canada.
• 1981: "Keller Sutton and Saito", Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta (paintings from her "Fan Series")
• 1982: "Color II", Martha White Gallery, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A. (paintings from her "Fan Series")
• 1987: "V.I.P..........A Selection of Very Important Painters celebrating their work of the 80's", Gallery One, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This show included many famous artists like Helen Frankenthaler and Frank Stella.
• 1998: "Abstraction Now", Gallery One, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This show was selected by Karen Wilkin.
• 1999-2000: "Abstraction- A Curator's Choice", The Art Gallery of Algoma, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.
• 2003: The Fitzwilliam Museum of Cambridge, United Kingdom, loaned two of her paintings, 'Virginia Greens' and 'Floral Tops'.
• 2009: "Bright Colours, Big Canvas: Jack Bush", Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. This show included Carol Sutton's painting 'Mint Julep'.

Music and Painting Commissions

Carol Sutton has also worked on special projects:

• 1972: She collaborated on "AUTOMATIC DUO" with David Jaeger and James Montgomery.
• 1973: She worked with David Jaeger on "FANCYE", a project that combined music, moving sculpture, and lights for a concert in Toronto.
• 1987: She created a very large painting, about 8 feet by 18 feet, called 'THE EYE OF THE OVAL' for a movie theater company in Orlando, Florida.

Where to Find Carol Sutton's Art (Collections)

Carol Sutton's artworks are held in many important art collections around the world, including:

• The Smithsonian Museum of American Art
• The Museum of Fine Arts Boston
• The Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA)
• The Fitzwilliam Museum of Cambridge, United Kingdom, and The New Hall Art Collection
• The Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
• Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
• Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (including her paintings 'Tuna' and 'Penny Royal')
• Memorial University of Newfoundland Art Gallery, Saint Johns, New Brunswick, Canada
• Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV), Victoria, British Columbia, Canada