Carol Black was born and raised in a coastal town in Southern California. Her passion for art and her love of nature began at a very early age. She was lucky to have a supportive mother who supplied her with the art materials she required and she would fill vast numbers of sketch books with ink and pencil drawings of trees, plants, horses and other animals. Carol's grandfather was an artist, and she frequented their home. She still remembers the quiet room that served as his grandfather’s studio and contained his easel, the reverence with which she examined the pastels, his box of brushes and oil paints, and the various associated smells of oil and turpentine.
These magical tools were later to pass into Carol’s hands, and she has treasured them – She still uses one or two of his grandfather’s brushes! Carol attended the University of California at Berkeley where she received her education in art. Although she made a subsequent decision to pursue other career interests, Carol continued to make art. She developed an avid interest in photography at this time and spent many hours recording and exploring the abundant natural beauty of the coastal wetlands. After producing a series of traditional still-lifes in acrylic for various private collectors and galleries in Southern California, she decided to turn her attention to the exciting world of publishing. In 2003 she met and married Simon Addyman, a successful English artist. It was then she decided to resume her artistic journey full time and began to paint in earnest.
