Carol Spence

I make collaged paintings, inspired by the poetry of mark making, layers of media and the creative tension between real and abstract. I incorporate acrylic paint, printmaking techniques, pen, pencils, collage and pastel. Common elements include the figure, text, patterns, texture and expressive lines, with diptychs and triptychs offering slices of real and imagined. Calligraphy and drawing is at the basis of my fascination for line in all its forms. Working in a series, the images create a shared visual vocabulary and unexpected conversations. For me, the process is problem solving, experimenting and discovering, adding and subtracting, this playfulness leading to unexpected consequences and more elegant solutions.

I want my work to be emotionally evocative, expanding into multiple associations for the viewer.


I grew up in Brooklyn, graduated from suny Cortland and received my Masters from the Rhode Island School of Design. I have recently retired as an art teacher and the Fine Arts Department Chair at Ithaca High School. I live in Ithaca, New York, with my two dogs, Luna & Gizmo.