Caroline Pool
‘Before I visited Alec and his family on their farm, as is often the case, I was already filled with potential painting ideas. The farm itself is old England steeped in history and peppered with modern machinery and ideas. There were so many options for great compositions and Alec is a dream subject for me. When he showed up for his sitting with some orange rope tied around his waist to keep his coat closed, I thought I had won the painting lottery. But portraiture for me is more than just a physical representation. I was really lucky to be able to spend a couple of days with the entire family. They were so open with me and talked about their unbelievably tragic losses as a family but also how they’ve mended together. They’re a unit. They’re hardworking. They have true grit. I quickly realised that family is at the heart and purpose of everything Alec does so it became obvious to me that the most powerful image from the sitting was in fact, the one with his Son, Jon. This painting is ultimately a portrait of the relationship between a Father and Son who live and work together. Old farming and new farming; both innovators from different generations but they meet at the halfway point and work together to remain custodians of the land for generations to come. They have each other’s back as they look towards a hopeful future.’
Caroline Pool grew up in Bangkok, Thailand before moving to England where she gained her Foundation Diploma in Art & Design at Central St Martin’s, London in 2004 and her BA (HONS) Illustration degree at Brighton University in 2007.
After graduating and working full-time in set design for feature films such as Ridley Scott’s, ‘Robin Hood’ and Alfonso Cuaron’s, ‘Gravity,’ Caroline followed her instincts and returned to painting. Caroline is a member of the CBPP and her work has been included in numerous collections including the Royal Academy, The Royal Society of Portrait Painters and Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art (US). Predominantly a portrait Artist, she enjoys combining her more analytical approach to the human form with a contemporary illustrative quality to the silhouette and composition.
Caroline’s double portrait of Alec and Jon Burrough was created in less than three weeks for the BBC One art series ‘Extraordinary Portraits with Tinie.’
Group exhibitions include; CBPP Annual Exhibition, Brixton Dept Store, London, UK (2022); Holly Bush Painting Prize, Lauderdale House, London, UK (2022); Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, RA, London, UK (2021);
Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, TBW, London, UK (2021); Ludlow Fringe, Nina & Co, Ludlow, UK (2021); IBPC21, Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, Wisconsin, US (2021; Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London, UK (2021); Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London, UK (2021); New English Art Club, Mall Galleries, London, UK (2020) ; Perceptions, CBPP, London, UK (2020); Threesome, 19Karen Gallery, Queensland, Australia (2019); RBSA Portrait Prize, RBSA, Birmingham, UK (2019); Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, TBW, London, UK (2019); The Royal West of England Academy, RWA, Bristol, UK (2018); The Society of Women Artists Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London, UK (2018); Delusional Art Competition, Jonathan Levine Gallery, New Jersey, US (2018); Affordable Art Fair, Hampstead, London, UK (2018); Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London, UK (2018); Artists & Illustrators Artist of the Year 2018, Mall Galleries, London, UK (2018); Columbia Threadneedle Prize, Mall Galleries, London, UK (2018); The Royal West of England Academy, RWA, Bristol, UK (2017); The Society of Women Artists Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London, UK (2017); Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London, UK (2017)