Courtney Caroline (b.1995) is a contemporary oil painter based in Vancouver, Canada whose work explores food, nostalgia, and the emotions shared around the table.  Courtney’s pieces have been collected worldwide and have been featured in group and solo exhibitions.

She grew up in the Okanagan and has always been observant of her surroundings, paying attention to small details and the way people interact with one another.  She later studied psychology and Law at Dalhousie University where an art history elective introduced her to Carravagio and Rembrandt and their ability to hold emotion through light and shadow.

Before painting full time, she worked in healthcare throughout BC, providing psychosocial support to vulnerable populations and frontline staff.  Much of that work took place around shared meals, spaces where food became an opening for connection, and where more vulnerable conversations could unfold.  Those experiences continue to shape her practice.

She approaches food as a universal language - one that carries nostalgia, culture and emotion.

Her recent work is a reflection on grief and she is currently developing her second body of work on the subject using food to reflect on loss, memory and the way we continue to love those we have lost.  This work is not about resolving an emotion but about leaning into community to process and heal.   

Courtney’s practice is intuitive.  Her use of oil sticks - thick, pigmented and immediate allows her to work more freely, allowing instinct to lead rather than control.  The physicality of the material mirrors the emotional weight of grief, with gestures that feel both deliberate and unresolved.

Courtney’s paintings are conceptualized through a combination of photos she or her friends have taken, pencil or pastel sketches and digital renditions.

The final compositions are achieved by a layer of orange acrylic wash, loose sketching using drawing oils then finished with oil sticks and oil paint creating a rich texture that extends the painting beyond the confines of the canvas.

While many of her paintings are personal, she also works closely with collectors, restaurants and brands to create commissioned pieces.