Caroline Z. Marcos is a mom of two (ages 10&7) and a Mixed Media artist who makes “soul-scapes” surreal landscapes that express her mind, heart, and spirit and her response to nature. She’s been an artist since age ten and she has a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art. She was born in Alexandria Egypt, raised in Calif, and moved to Texas in 2007. She currently lives in the Northwest area of Houston.
I make mixed media paintings with acrylic, collage, oil stick, found objects, cold wax and sometimes encaustic. They have many layers and textures. I call them ‘soulscapes.’ As a former art therapist my work is informed by the healing power of Art. I play in the studio with the various materials with curiosity to problem solve whatever feelings or life issues at present. The resolve is the painting, a psychological topography moving from despair to hope, darkness to light.
Caroline Marcos was born in Alexandria, Egypt as a Copt (Christian Egyptian). Caroline has a B.A. in Studio Art and Psychology (double major) from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy/Art Therapy Psychology.
Caroline studied under Frank Galuszka, Tim Craighead, and Don Fritz, who worked in painting and mixed media using Mica, Acrylic get transfers, and Bees Wax.
Caroline creates works of fine art; utilizing various mediums and techniques, such as acrylic gel medium transfers, encaustic, collage and oil stick. Creativity as play and using tactile mediums are inspirations to her pieces. She has participated in over 13 Juried shows and has had 3 commissions and various collectors. She enjoys participating in the Houston art community on a regular basis both exhibiting and teaching art therapy workshops at the Pearl Museum of Fine Art in Spring, Tx and The Jung Center in Houston.
Juried Exhibitions/Awards
2024
The “Summer Vibes" virtual Exhibition, T.E.Nacious; Houston Tx, Online
Visions; 25th Annual Group Exhibition, The Jung Center Houston, May 17-June 28, 2024
Natural, Downtowner Gallery: Round Rock TX, May 9th-July 5th, 2024
Surrealism; It is but it isn’t, The Woodlands Art Gallery and Studios; March to May 2024
2023, B L U E, Art Car Museum, Houston TX. , January 28th, through Sunday, May 28th
2023, Sunlight Through A Prims: Exploring Color in Art, The Woodlands Art Gallery & Studios, Woodlands Tx, March 16-May 10th, Honored as a finalist. Juror: Rebecca Mcnamara
2023, Ripple Effect, a collective exhibition by Anna Hazel Production benefitting Buffalo Bayou Partnership, April 2023
2022, The Abstract Art Show, Hardy & Nance Studios, guest curator, Liz Gates
2022; The Woodlands High School Art Trust- selected as one of 13 nominees for 2022, Acquired Artwork for collection “Starry Day Ocean”.
2022, Visual Arts Alliance Houston, 38th Annual Juried Member Exhibition April 3rd-May 1st, Juror: Lester Marks
2022, Verdant Heart, Fe Gallery, Sacramento Ca, April 1st-May 27
2022, A Tribute To Small Works, MVA Gallery (Modern Visual Arts), PA, March - April 1
2021, MVA Gallery at MVA (Modern Visual Arts) Gallery, Bethlehem, PA Nature: Landscape Serene and Savage exhibit, Sept 6-28th
2021, GREATER DENTON ARTS COUNCIL, Soul Art Renewal Exhibition, June 11-Sept 04
2020, LAS LAGUNA GALLERY Contemporary & Fine Art in Laguna Beach, CA, Botanical - Online Exhibition (Oct. 1 to Nov. 3, 2020)
2020; The Woodlands High School Art Trust- selected as one of 13 nominees for 2020 Final review for selection Jan 17- Feb 5 2020. Artwork submitted “Sea Tulips”.
2018, Of Women, Community Artist Collective, Houston Tx
2017, JoMar Visions Art of Excellence Exhibit, JoMar Visions, 5247-5249 Langfield Rd, Houston, Texas 77040, Jurors: Mark Roden and Joana Esteves
2012 Figure and Flora, Featured Artist, 2404 Montrose Gallery, Houston Tx
2011, Artist Alive and Well N-Sight Juried Exhibition, Continental Center, 1600 Smith St Houston Tx, Juror: Patrick Palmer, Honorable Mention.
Third Annual Juried Exhibition benefiting The Houston Area's Women's center, Archway Gallery, 2305 Dunlavy St., Houston Tx, 77006. Juror: Bert L. Long
2010, Visual Arts Alliance 27th Juried Open Exhibition, Williams Tower Gallery, Houston Tx, Juror: Keith Carter
Art 2010, Nathan D. Rosen Museum Gallery, Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center, Boca Raton, FL
2009 12" Buy 12" Juried Exhibit and Sale, Austin Art Space, Austin Tx, Juror: Bill Keese
140 Hours of Fame: Twitter Online Auction Galerie St. George, NY, Juror: Gary Grant
Natural Habitat First Annual Juried Exhibition Archway Gallery, Houston, Juror: Dean Ruck,
2008, Artist Alive and Well Group, Continental Building, 1600 Smith St., Houston, Tx, Juried by Sara Kellner
Group Exhibitions
2022, 25th anniversary of Art on the Avenue, Winter Street Studios, Houston Tx
2019, Monthly FreshArts exhibit with Davinci Gallery, Art Co-op, Tomball Tx
2012 Water! Jomar Visions, Houston Tx
2011
Caroline Z. Marcos and Jennie Kimborough, Bohemeos Cafe, Houston Tx
Presence: member show, Jung Center, Houston Tx
Hot Hot Hot! Houston Artist members of TexasWAX, Bosque Gallery, Lonestar College, Cy-fair Tx
2009
Turning Point: Member Show, Jung Center, Houston Tx
Abstracted Color and Natural Forms, in association with Heights First Saturday (heightsfirstsaturday.com), Houston Tx
Encaustic Painting, Center for the Arts Bosque Gallery, Lone Star College-Cyfair,Houston Tx
The 10,000 (people interpret one word) project, Art House Gallery, Atlanta GAwww.arthousecoop.com/projects
The Canvas Project Volume 2, The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta InternationalAirport and Art House Gallery, Atlanta GA www.arthousecoop.com/projects
2008
Urban Life Exhibit in affiliation with Artist Alive and Well, Three Allen Center, Downtown Houston.
Biannual City Artworks Teacher’s Exhibition.. Cloister Gallery; Christ Church Cathedral, Houston Tx, 2008 www.cityartworks.org
Of Women The Community Artists' Collective, Houston Tx www.thecollective.org, .
Artist Alive and Well Group, One Allen Center, 500 Dallas, Houston Tx 77002
2007
Fiesta Guadalupana, Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts(MECA),Houston Tx
Visual Noise UMC Art Gallery, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO,
2005
Commitment, Galleria Tempest San Francisco, CA 94109),
2004
The Nature of Healing: Annual Art Exhibition, The Art of Art Therapists, Students, Faculty and Alumni Notre Dame de Namur University, Art Therapy Psychology Department; Belmont, CA
2003
24th Annual Mountain Art Show , St. John on the Mountain Church,Bernardsville, N.J.
Collections
Permanent public installation of Water: Enhancing Healing through Nature & Art, Methodist Outpatient Center, the Methodist Collection, The Methodist Hospital, Texas Medical Center, Houston Tx.
2022 The Woodlands High School Art Trust; acquired Starry Day Ocean.
Commissions
2019
Private Estate commission, Los Angeles Ca.
2007
Event logo for youth convention by Southern United States Coptic Diocese
http://www.suscopts.org/scyc/wwf/
CD cover for 3youth music group; www.3youth.com
PUBLICATIONS
Gajkowski-Hill, Sarah, “Group Show: Artist Alive and Well”, ArtsHouston, February 2008
http://www.artshouston.com/article.php?article_id=633
Awards/Professional development:
2023 Artist Inc Cohort
https://fresharts.org/2023-alumni-bios/
Artist INC is an eight-week seminar designed to address the specific professional and entrepreneurial challenges that artists of all disciplines face in their practices. Led by a team of five trained peer facilitators, and designed for up to 25 participants, artists learn and grow together through artist facilitator mentoring, small group activities, large group discussions, multi-media lectures, and a remarkable opportunity for networking with other artists.
Artists are selected for Artist INC through a competitive panel process that looks at the quality of work and readiness for the program. The selection process also looks at the diversity of the seminar cohort to ensure diversity in all its definitions including demographics (gender, age, and ethnicity) and artistic discipline
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work is an expression of the human spirit reflected in natural beauty through narrative and symbols. It is done in mixed media, acrylic, collage, encaustic and water media. Working in mixed media lends itself to creating a visceral world made with multiple layers, an approach that imbues the work with meaning. The layering process acts as a metaphor for the layering of the soul, the depth of the unconscious which is the well from which my imagery is extracted. I explore narratives through symbols and archetypes, in landscapes, seascapes, nature, birds, flowers, mandalas, and the female figure. These are both personal and collective narratives of a memory or a dream, the past and present emotions. My work oftentimes includes abstracted color and abstracted natural forms but lives in the space between surrealism and stylized abstraction. The conversation between Art and healing is very important to me; I believe in the healing process created in the experience of making art. My work is about the spiritual connection found in natural beauty and the temporal quality of our existence as part of nature.
I make 'Soul-Scapes'; entry windows into my soul, analogous to how icons were depicted as entry points into heaven. I make art because it allows me to slow down and notice the beauty of nature and the beauty in myself and others. The art making process allows me to step into that healing flow of the mind and space to respond to natural beauty, or to simply respond to my place in the world; this body, this mind, this heart. To immerse myself in the variety of media to connect with, embrace and communicate that beauty to the best of my technical ability and my intuitive explorations with the media.
It is my hope that the viewers of my work will slow down and engage with the work from a place of recognizing the beauty, joy, tension between hope and despair, darkness and light, sometimes pain and mystery of all that is around them, both in nature, others and as well as in themselves, to have my Soul Scape resonate with their souls.
fine art paintings, nature paintings, flowers, abstract, surrealism, landscapes, soul, spiritual, interior design, large paintings, small paintings, local Houston art, Houston artist, Egyptian, greek, eastern European, Coptic