Artist Statement 

Caroline List is a British contemporary artist, born in Nottingham, who currently works in London and Ramsgate. She studied painting at Chelsea School of Art & Design, where she completed an MA in painting. Over the years, her work has developed through a number of painting material processes and ideas.

Her recent paintings explore the emotional and spatial effects of colour and light. Drawing on colour theory, light contrast, and optical depth. Caroline explores abstraction through formal compositions and shifting colour horizons.

The blended colour grounds in her paintings are carefully layered, with slow drying oil pigments, merged across the surface to evoke luminous colour -scapes. These atmospheric fields are set against clean geometric forms, referencing both modernist abstraction and the poetics of light. She has also created light boxes that function as luminous back-lit  counterparts to her paintings. Caroline describes her current works as ‘Chromatic Spatial Abstractions’  

Previously, her earlier works were hinged in abstract landscape exploring, light,memory & place. Elements are still visible in these current non representational works, yet the figurative references are paired -down, creating a visual puzzle of form & ground, chromatic light horizons and atmospheric space.

Her Recents solo show ‘Light Puzzle ‘at ‘The House’ Ramsgate. is curated in response to the seascape sky -scapes exterior views and the interior colours . This sets up a spatial dialogue and colour conversation  with the paintings and led light tondos. 

Recent group shows include, Ramsgate Festival of light (Funded by the Arts council of England ) Linden Hall gallery, Deal.Winter Salon. Tension Fine Art, London,’Colour Wave Turbulance’ curated by Laurence Noga. Flowers Gallery, Mayfair ‘Small is Beautiful’. Laurent Delaye gallery Common Ground and Marie Jose gallery, Kensington, London. AL(L)ONE The Orchid Room, Margate  ‘Perfectly Purple but Decidedly Pink’ solo show 

Since graduating with an MA in Painting, (1988) from Chelsea School of Art & Design Caroline has been represented by a number of galleries. She has exhibited in London, Spain, New York, Toronto, Paris & China, including Curating several successful exhibitions in the contemporary London art scene.

Caroline’s earlier works produced in the 1990’s, were large contemporary abstract oil  paintings, which referenced epic history painting, dystopian nature & elemental landscapes spaces. These works were exhibited in contemporary exhibitions and Auctions at Bonhams & Christies, London. A number of works were sold to public & private collections and the Contemporary Arts society, when she was represented by the late (Art consultant ) Mr John Simmons.

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 Water Through Stone 1990 –  180cm x 130cm oil on canvas (sold private collection ) New Generation Bonhams, London, curated by John Simmons  Art Consultant ( 1990)   

In 1995 Caroline won the Ist prize in painting at the ROL, Piccadilly Commonwealth Painting prize judged by the renowned painter and Printmaker Patrick Caulfield.

In 2002- 2004  She had a successful solo show ‘ called  ‘Ditto Ditto ‘ when she was represented by Catto Contemporary gallery, Shoreditch, London, which is now (Ben Austin Fine Art)  Caroline also exhibited with ‘Mark Jason & Tag Fine Art’, exhibiting in London contemporary art fairs in the uk and internationally .When she made a series of paintings fusing photo light sensitive emulsion and oil paint. Caroline continued to exhibit in numerous curated & solo shows in London’s vibrant East End  Art scene where she curated the successful show. ‘The Horizon of Expectation’ ( 2004) . From 2007- 2015 Her exploration into mixed media materials led her to make a series of landscape & memory paintings  called  ‘Silent Witnesses’ working with painting photography and light. This series explored the ancient Sherwood forest and the oak trees, which are over 800 years old .A forest that was once 100,000 acres and is now 1,000 acres 

English Type (2008)  oil & acrylic & light sensitive paint on canvas – diptych  120 x 300cm ( silent witness series ) 

In 2015 Caroline had a solo show at Art House -1 in Bermondsey – London called ‘Geoscapes’ curated by the wonderful gallery director ( the late ) Rebecca Fairman. Caroline made a series of painting and light-boxes and paintings, in response to her trip to Iceland exploring landscape phenomena and the industrial sublime, in response to interventions of geothermal technology on the natural landscape 

  Geoscapes  Light box 2015 ( sold private collection  )

From 2018 – 2026 Caroline’s inquiry into light and the sensory experience of colour led to her recent works which she describes as…. 

 ‘Chromatic Spatial Abstractions’. Caroline exhibited with Laurent Delaye gallery, who focuses on systematic painting and formal abstraction. Caroline’s main focus is painting, yet she has explored her ideas through various media, such as print, sculpture and light boxes. Within these works she seeks to explore abstraction, balance & form through the Sensuality of shape, colour & light. Recent paintings & sculptural paintings, generate an ongoing dialogue, exploring  modernist languages, colour opticality, colour-theory. and atmospheric light, This ongoing fascination with colour and its emotive sensory impact, makes reference to spatial illusions, landscape horizons, atmospheric light, the ‘virtual screen’ and the sensory luminosity of painting.  

Carolines work has been collected by a number of private collectors as well as corporate collections, including, The Contemporary Arts Society, Arthur Anderson London, Neuberger & Berman New York, Fidelity Financial, London, JP Morgan  & Cazenove bank. Hilton -la defense – Paris. Caroline’s  ‘Light  Box -Tondo ‘works are exhibited at the Groucho club  ( Soho ) which are  currently part of their contemporary collection – London .

Artist’s Statement – for Over 40 years I have been committed to supporting my art career, coming from working class roots,financially this has nor been easy but I was committed to supporting my practice, working in art education, gallery sales, funding & curated shows. For over 30 years I worked in Fine Art education, teaching mixed media painting and delivering specialist painting workshop within the BA / MA Fine Art program at Central Saint Martins School of Art & Design (1995- 2025.) . Along side this demanding role I continued to make work from my studio and exhibit in the Uk and overseas. I am excited to work with new curators, galleries and art lovers and open to proposal from curators, galleries and public art projects. Recent shows are ….

2026- Forthcoming  group show 

‘Plumbline of a Dancer ‘ curated by Johanna Melvin ,Hackney, London

Recent Exhibitions 

Solo Show July 2026 Light Puzzle  ‘The House’ Ramgate

December 2025 – 26 Ramsgate Winter Festival of Light – Sponsored by The Arts Council -England –  11 selected artist install art works and installations. illuminating public spaces in  “Light Up Ramsgate ‘

December 2025 – Jan 26 Linden Hall Gallery – group show – Deal Kent

October 2025 Lido Open Margate – Kent  – curated by Kristen Healy & Sophie Von Hellermann

July 2025  Site specific exhibition in Margate/Kent at The Orchid Room Margate Kent – This exhibition explores light & colour conversation, showing paintings and light boxes, with a focus on purple & pink – titled . ‘Perfectly purple but Decidedly Pink ‘

                 Perfectly purple but decidedly pink – solo show Orchid Rooms / Margate 

https://www.laurentdelaye.com/exhibitions/36-common-ground-an-exhibition-in-folkestone/

28 March – 7 April 2025  – Folkestone/ UK 

 November  2024 

‘COLOUR WAVES ( Turbulence )  ‘ Tension Fine art curated  by Laurence Noga Group exhibition of paintings and sculpture, exploring (non representation)  through materiality, chromatic saturation and colour turbulence – Alexis Harding, Fabio Almeida,Ben Gooding, Katrina Blannin,Stephen Jaques,Dan Sturgis, Julian Wakelin,Caroline List, Laurence Noga.   

October – 2024   

‘PAST PRESENT & FUTURE ’ The Art Academy,  curated by Rob Pepper & Sue Spall, Bankside, London

­2024

FLATLAND  – Side Show Lethaby Gallery, University of the Arts -Central Saint Martins School of Art & Design, London