ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Carolyn Neely is a Savannah, Georgia, painter who uses oil on canvas to describe fragments of memory and dreams.  Her naturalistic depiction of a surreal world of dolls, figurines, and handkerchiefs evokes elements of poignancy, isolation, and unfinished agendas.  Unusual vantage points, exaggerated perspective and skewed angles blur the distinction between participant and observer in the paintings’ narratives. 

Neely was born into a military family, and spent the years of the Cold War moving with her parents from one assignment to another, often living in the officers’ row housing which recurrently figures in her painting. Her early and ongoing interest in drawing and painting continued after her move to Savannah; she attended art classes at Armstrong Atlantic State University while working as a pediatric social worker with various health agencies in Savannah.  She embarked on a full-time career as an artist in 1999, has earned a Master of Fine Art degree in painting at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and teaches and paints in her studio in the Savannah Historic District.