In 2001, Carolyn retired from a 21 year career as a public defender for Juvenile and Family Court in Ramsey and Washington Counties. With encouragement from her family, she began to pursue her love of painting and drawing. But, it was not until 2008 that she began formal training at the Edina Art School. In 2009 she applied to The Atelier in Minneapolis and spent four years of rigorous training in the Atelier method of realism under the direction of Cyd Wicker and Dale Redpath.​

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An “imaginative realist,” she works in oil on canvas and on wood panels. Her work includes figure drawings, portraits, still lifes, landscapes, seascapes and florals. Her artwork is influenced and inspired by her travels and the people she has met, her interest in differing religious beliefs, her desire to capture the movement, beauty, and light in water and glass, and now the beauty of florals.​Carolyn's commissioned works include portraits, pet portraits, farm houses and historical buildings. Some of Carolyn's most prominent series of works, include The Ten Plagues, Strong Women in the Bible, Water and Sand: Forging a Nation and The Power of Water. She has participated in numerous juried and non-juried art exhibition events. Carolyn is passionate about sharing her art with others in various forums.​Her studio is located in St. Paul, Minnesota and her work appears regularly in exhibitions.