Carolyn Hagy Kent

 “The saying goes that artists are born to be artists but sometimes they don’t know it right away. More often, a career in art is considered to be impractical and budding artists are steered into more prosaic careers. That is how it was for Carolyn Hagy Kent.

Originally, she earned a degree in Music from Centenary College for Women, but after graduation she entered the business world to make a living. Carolyn reentered the creative world in 2006 when she relocated to Providence, RI to pursue a Certificate in Surface Design (RISD 2008), and then continued on to earn a Certificate in Drawing and Painting (RISD 2010). Since then, Ms. Kent has continued to develop her skills; she studied with Julie Gearan and Don Sondag, two highly regarded figurative painters. She has also studied at the Crealde School of Art in Orlando, FL.

Having traveled extensively, and resided in culturally rich areas such as Chadds Ford, PA, Los Angeles, Manhattan, the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Miami, and San Miguel de Allende, she presently lives and paints from her home and studio located in Pawtuxet Village, RI.

Carolyn’s intention is to capture the emotional content of her subject through brushstroke, choice of palette, and fluid line. A sense of mystery is always on the forefront as the painting progresses. It the beginning a thrilling expedition when one of her viewers asks the question: “what is this; what is that?” Nothing in life is definitive, concrete, or without blurred lines, and so the artist paints that particular question mark into her work.

At the onset, and through photographic reference, Ms. Kent determines the appropriate palette, and will normally proceed to an under painting. This under painting is often in a complementary hue, and allowed to show through the final painting. Once the under painting is dry, the artist will begin to layer on the first of many layers of oil paint. Throughout this process, the painting may take unanticipated and unexpected direction, whether in subject matter or palette or line. It’s part of the process which the artist has learned to embrace, knowing that once again, nothing in life is fixed and unchangeable.

Carolyn Hagy Kent has shown at galleries located in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, the Watercolor Society of RI, and The Vets, Providence, RI., and she is an Associate Member of the Art League of Rhode Island.”