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Carol paints beauty for beauty’s sake, and her work reflects a world of color, texture, movement of grass, wind, prisms of light, and shadow. Her favorite subjects are rugged mountains and peaceful meadows, but she also loves orchids, other colorful flowers, and frosty winter scenes. She has described her work as an attempt to capture a moment in time with emotion and beauty. Carol’s oil canvases are large and impressionistic in style, tone, and color, while her watercolors reflect technical control, blended with a traditional realistic approach. Carol’s extensive travels have profoundly influenced her art. When she returns to her studio, the inspiration of her travels, combined with the splendor of Montana, result in the marvelous landscapes for which she is known.

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A native Montanan, Carol Novotne, graduated from the University of Montana with a BFA in Art in 1970. She studied ceramics under Rudy Autio, jewelry making and gold casting under Maxine Blackmer, and painting with Walter Hook. In 1975, she received her Master’s Degree in Anthropology, and taught as a Field Archaeologist at Carroll College. In 1985, Carol became the director of the Helena Art Center. She served on the Montana Arts Council until 2003. Carol established her Bear Grass Studio in Helena, Montana, where she continues to create her beautiful paintings, drawing inspiration from the vast Helena Valley nestled against the Rocky Mountain Front. Carol is a member of the Women Artists of the West, and is a signature member of the Montana Watercolor Society. She has had several solo shows at the Holter Museum of Art, the Main Slope Gallery, and several others. She has also participated in shows at the Water Works Art Museum and the Yellowstone Art Museum. Her work has been displayed at the Dana and Radius Galleries in Missoula. She is a featured artist at Harvest Gold Gallery in Center Lovell, Maine.