ARTIST STATEMENT

Cara VL has had a lifelong obsession with horses; when they were no longer a part of her life everything became disoriented.

At the age of nine, Cara began taking riding lessons and eventually found true love competing in the jumper ring. The stable taught Cara discipline and order, something sorely missing in her home life. Her barn rat friends became family and the horses offered the peace and kindness she longed for.

This magical life with horses seemingly ended when Cara left her hometown of Ft. Wayne IN to study photojournalism at Western Kentucky University and sold her beloved horse. She performed remarkably well with a camera, earning numerous awards including The Alexia as well as interning at newspapers throughout the country. Always a creative, Cara not only relied heavily on photography but also breakdancing and graffiti to keep her soul full. However, the loss of horses was marked.

In the chaos of the 2008 recession, she moved to one of the last unrehabbed lofts in downtown St Louis; it was full of artists who encouraged her to paint. In 2011 Cara created her first painting, a 6'x6' of two horses embracing. The only work she could find was as a carriage driver which reunited her with horses and reignited the passion that had been dormant for far too long. 

Today Cara is a full-time artist, painting horses in thick, layered oils. Her paintings begin with antique frames which are gingerly restored. Boards are cut to fit with the framing being an integral part of the finished piece. Horses are depicted with exceptionally long legs, reflecting their fragility and the fragility of life. The backgrounds are often simple in nature, showcasing a laser focus on the subject matter. A variety of techniques and tools are used to achieve hyper texture and are inspired by a true passion for process in both painting and horse training. Glazing, layering, and thinned paint along with the use of brushes, pallet knives, and fingers lend to the canvas’ depth and movement.

Cara is based in Williston FL, outside Ocala on a small ranch with two horses, a three legged dog and two barn cats that reside inside her home.