Bio
Carolyn Misterek (b.1985) is a painter living and working in Maryland, United States. She graduated with a BFA from the University of Minnesota in 2007, followed by an MA in Art History from the University of St. Thomas in 2011. After many years of designing and running a handbag label, MATINE, Carolyn returned to a full-time studio art practice in 2020. Carolyn’s work meanders back and forth between explorations of the tangible natural world and intuitive mark making. At once pursuing newness and a dialogue with the artists of her historical studies, Carolyn most often draws on that timeless inspiration of the garden, whether at home or abroad.
Since 2020 Carolyn’s work has found collectors in over 30 countries, and has been featured in solo and group shows throughout the Washington, D.C. area and internationally in galleries in the U.K. and France, and public displays in Hong Kong, Switzerland, Italy, and Macao.
Artist Statement
My work begins with the lingering impression of a place after it has been left behind. Through painting, I explore how memory preserves and alters so many fleeting experiences.
Working primarily in oil, I move between observed, tangible reality, and intuition. Landscapes become starting points rather than destinations. I am interested in the space between what is seen and what is remembered, where perception and imagination overlap.
Somewhere in my work I am also fighting a personal (futile) battle against impermanence. The garden is a common subject of mine, and therein lies a pretty obvious metaphor for life: bloom, fade, scatter, and return. My work seeks to preserve and give permanent form to that which might otherwise only be briefly felt and forgotten.
Recently
2025
Chateau Orquevaux Residency and Denis Diderot Grant, Orquevaux, France
2024
“SQFT”, Group Show, Washington, DC
2023
Meadow Gallery, Mylo Art Summer Show, Stockbridge UK
The American Scholar, Portrait of the Artist
2022
“Other People’s Flowers,” Solo Show, Homme Gallery, Washington, DC
“Everyday Occurrences” Solo Show, Salon Studio, Washington, DC
2021
”Still/Life” Group Show, Monochrome Collective, Washington, DC
“Women in The Arts” Group Show, Latela Curatorial, Washington, DC
“Fun Size” Juried Group Show, Jen Tough Gallery, Sante Fe, NM
The Rulebreaker Podcast, Episode #39
Friend of the Artist, Studio Project
“Her Weight in Gold” Group Show, Visionary Arts Collective
2020
“Into Nature” Juried Group Show, WBCA, Minnesota