| Artist | Carolin Leary Prinn | Resides | United States |
| Website | carolinprinn.com | Medium | Watercolour Oil Acrylic wash Graphite Ink |
| Print Shop | carolinprinn.com/collect | [email protected] | |
| Follow the Artist | Instagram | Facebook | Themes | Symbolism Mysticism Fantasy Folklore Fairy Tales Nature Universal Myth The Human Story |
About the artist
Carolin Leary Prinn (b. Boston, 1984) has been inspired by myth, folklore and history from a very young age, stirring the creation of her mythical world, The Islands of Niljora, the world that frames her imagery and stories. Her work traverses the realms of fantastical illustration and realism, having characteristics from the “golden age” illustrators, ancient art, and the old masters she has admired since childhood.
Carolin graduated with a B.F.A. with honours in painting from The Savannah College of Art & Design, then began her career as an artist and illustrator in her ancestral home of New Zealand. Her work has been a selected finalist for The International A.R.C. (Art Renewal Center) Salon, The Adam Portraiture Award and chosen for a national tour through The New Zealand Portrait Gallery.
Carolin has published two books on her world, purchased for the permanent and heritage collections of The New Zealand National Library and Otago University’s Hocken Library, and worked on various commissions for books, magazines and albums. Her work has been published in The A.R.C. Salon Catalogue and featured in Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.
Her works can be found in private collections in Europe, The United States, New Zealand and India.
Artwork Themes & Subject Matter
Carolin Leary Prinn sees her works as artefacts of her mythos, The Islands of Niljora. It has been the way she has organized the world we live in since she was a child, expressed in her paintings, drawings, and written stories. Part myth, adventure and spiritual journey, The Islands of Niljora has evolved into a symbolic reflection on the universal human story. Her work explores themes of light vs. dark, good vs. evil, hope and cautionary tales. They possess stories of heroes or host deity-like observers, passing their gaze over the patterns of the human world. Her work connects to a lifelong fascination with nature, the mystical and the mythological.
Press
Carolin Leary Prinn’s work has been featured in notable magazines, books, and online sources including The A.R.C. (Art Renewal Center) Salon Publication, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, illustration projects with Skydeck Music & Raiffeisenbank and her books, The Spirit of Shadows and The Primordials.
Upcoming Exhibitions
| When | Exhibition | Gallery |
| January 2025 | Group exhibition: “Art of Lore” | Poetic Tiger Gallery Boise, ID. USA |
| June 2025 | Group exhibition: “Enchanted Fables” | Curio Art Gallery Portugal (online exhibition) |
CV
Education
2019-2021 Painting Program, The Florence Academy of Art, Florence, Italy
2010 B.F.A. Painting (Honours), The Savannah College of Art & Design, Savannah, GA, United States
2008 White Cloud Workshops in Concept Art, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2016
Worlds, Deluxe, Wellington, New Zealand
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024
The Portrait Show 12: Myth, Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, CA. United States
The 9th Annual Postcard Show: P.S., Gallery Nucleus at Nucleus House, Portland, OR. United States
Enigmatic World of Owls, Poetic Tiger Gallery, Boise, ID. United States
2023
The Frankfurt Book Fair, Frankfurt, Germany
Almenara Art Prize Online Exhibition, Almenara Collection, Córdoba, Spain
2020
FAA Student Online Exhibition, The Florence Academy of Art, Florence, Italy
2019
The Parkin Drawing Prize, The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, Wellington, New Zealand
2018
The Parkin Drawing Prize, The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, Wellington, New Zealand
2017
The Adam Portraiture Award, The New Zealand Portrait Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand
Wanderlust, PRO4 Organisation, Berlin, Germany
Vernissage, PRO4 Organisation, Berlin, Germany
