Welcome! Scroll through my pages and enjoy my recent artwork, and follow along with me on my latest adventures on Instagram and Facebook where I share photography, exhibit news, process, travels and more. If you have a special location or idea in mind, I can make it happen for you as a commission; let's collaborate. Contact me at carolyndamstra@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you!
I am a painter of the landscapes and lakeshores of Michigan. I enjoy hiking Sleeping Bear Dunes, swimming the big waves of Lake Michigan and exploring new places. An important part of my creative process is taking reference photos for studio work, as I paint only from my own photos. I paint on location as well, with the sounds, smells and breeze to keep me company and influence my artwork. I have two goals I incorporate into my art; to inspire people to observe and seek out the unique, amazing beauty of this planet, and to encourage an active lifestyle of hiking and appreciation of nature that goes along with that. I hope to serve as an example as a woman who travels frequently and hikes or walks or swims or does something in nature daily as part of physical and spiritual health.
BIO
Carolyn Damstra is a native Michiganian and has traveled extensively throughout North America and abroad. She has participated in numerous solo and juried state and regional exhibitions, including the Dennos Museum Center’s Art of Sleeping Bear Dunes: Transforming Nature Into Art and was selected as an Artist in Residence at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Recently, several of her paintings have travelled internationally as part of the Art In Embassies Program, U.S. Department of State, to Fiji, Serbia, and Belgium. Damstra holds a BFA in studio art and an MA in art history, both from Michigan State University.
The main subjects of her contemporary landscapes are the scenery and shorelines of Michigan. Through travels and painting, Damstra seeks out the healing power of immersion in nature and finds an emotional connection to our environment through visual observation. Her mission is to spread awareness of the power of this connection, through art. Her paintings serve as a bridge, or a catalyst, for connecting with the natural world and finding peace and spiritual health, as well as portraying the stunning beauty of her home state and the Midwestern region.
I am a painter of the landscapes and lakeshores of Michigan. I enjoy hiking Sleeping Bear Dunes, swimming the big waves of Lake Michigan and exploring new places. An important part of my creative process is taking reference photos for studio work, as I paint only from my own photos. I paint on location as well, with the sounds, smells and breeze to keep me company and influence my artwork. I have two goals I incorporate into my art; to inspire people to observe and seek out the unique, amazing beauty of this planet, and to encourage an active lifestyle of hiking and appreciation of nature that goes along with that. I hope to serve as an example as a woman who travels frequently and hikes or walks or swims or does something in nature daily as part of physical and spiritual health.
BIO
Carolyn Damstra is a native Michiganian and has traveled extensively throughout North America and abroad. She has participated in numerous solo and juried state and regional exhibitions, including the Dennos Museum Center’s Art of Sleeping Bear Dunes: Transforming Nature Into Art and was selected as an Artist in Residence at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Recently, several of her paintings have travelled internationally as part of the Art In Embassies Program, U.S. Department of State, to Fiji, Serbia, and Belgium. Damstra holds a BFA in studio art and an MA in art history, both from Michigan State University.
The main subjects of her contemporary landscapes are the scenery and shorelines of Michigan. Through travels and painting, Damstra seeks out the healing power of immersion in nature and finds an emotional connection to our environment through visual observation. Her mission is to spread awareness of the power of this connection, through art. Her paintings serve as a bridge, or a catalyst, for connecting with the natural world and finding peace and spiritual health, as well as portraying the stunning beauty of her home state and the Midwestern region.
"You capture the beauty and grace of Michigan in a way that makes me feel connected to the trees and shorelines and waters of my home state. Your art speaks directly to the soul." -S. C.
All content on this website is the property of Carolyn Damstra and is protected under United States and international copyright laws. The images shall not be reproduced, stored or manipulated, in any manner, without the express written permission of the artist.
