THE WORK

Art, whether teaching it, supporting it or making it has held Canadian artist, Carole Finn’s attention for almost her entire life.

My work has evolved from painting endangered landscapes alone to creating paintings that bring the animals living within those habitats to the forefront. As a wildlife artist, I am interested not simply in depicting an animal, but in creating an emotional connection between the viewer, the animal, and the environment it inhabits. My paintings are narrative and expressive, exploring the relationships between wildlife and their increasingly threatened habitats.

I work primarily in acrylic, using photographic reference as a starting point,often combined with digital manipulation and multiple references to construct imagined settings. This process allows me to create compositions that go beyond a literal representation of nature and tell a story.

My approach combines colourful realism with elements of impressionism. I do not attempt to paint every detail of an animal's fur or feathers; instead, I focus on expression, gesture, atmosphere and the character of the individual animal. For me, wildlife art is ultimately about connection. By placing animals within the landscapes they depend upon, I hope to encourage viewers to see them not as distant subjects, but as living beings with a place in our shared world.

My art has also become a way of supporting conservation. I have donated paintings to conservation organizations, including Pacific Wild, where my work has helped raise funds in support of wildlife and habitat protection.

As my work continues to evolve, my goal remains the same: to use painting to create an emotional response to wildlife and inspire greater appreciation for the habitats that sustain the creatures large and small within it.

PUBLICATIONS

“Walk by Water” Carole Finn,

featuring stories of two men who followed

their passion to create of the “Wild Pacific

Trail” and “Minden White Water.” The

book is full of Finn’s photographs that

became the basis for her series of paintings

of both areas.