A native Montanan, Carol Novotne grew up in Helena, immersed in music, art, and hard work. She graduated from University of Montana with a BFA in Art in 1970, and went on to receive her Master's Degree in Anthropology with a minor in microbiology. After teaching anthropology and archeology at Carroll College and Helena schools, she returned to her art with an enthusiasm and dedication that is reflected in her beautiful paintings. She is now a well-known and respected artist and a master in oil and watercolor.
Carol began drawing and painting as a young child and had her first professional showing at age 16 in downtown Helena. She has traveled extensively through Europe in order to capture the moods, styles, and perceptions of the great impressionistic artists, including Monet, Gaugin, and Van Gogh, which have influenced her own artistic style. However, Carol's paintings are unique in that they capture and express her individual style, her own emotions, and perceptions of her subjects.
Carol paints beauty for beauty's sake, and her work reflects a world of color, texture, movement of grass, wind, prisms of light, and shadow. Her favorite subjects are rugged mountains and peaceful meadows, but she also loves orchids and colorful flowers and frosty winter scenes. She has described her work as an attempt to capture a moment in time with emotion and beauty. Carol's oil canvasses are large and impressionistic in style, tone and color, while her watercolors reflect technical control blended with a traditional realistic approach.
Carol has been active in promoting art in the community, serving as director of the Helena Art Center for 10 years, on the Helena Arts Council for 12 years, and the Montana Water Color Society. She also teaches classes and workshops in oil and watercolor.