Artist Statement
"I see my works as artefacts of my mythos, The Islands of Niljora. It is the way I have organised the world we live in since I was a child, expressed in my paintings, drawings, and written stories. Parts myth, adventure and spiritual journey, The Islands of Niljora has evolved into a symbolic reflection on our universal human story. My 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 patterns of the human world that have echoed since ancient times. My work connects to a lifelong fascination with nature,
the mystical and the mythological."
About
Painting and creating since childhood, Carolin grew up with a love and curiosity for the human story, reading endlessly about mythology and far off places, leading to the conception of her mythical world. In the form of paintings and illustrated books, The Islands of Niljora has become the cornerstone of narrative and symbolism behind her creations.
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Carolin's works have featured in Beautiful Bizarre Magazine and The International A.R.C. Salon Catalogue and exhibited in galleries around the world.
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She graduated with a B.F.A. with honours from The Savannah College of Art & Design and initially began her career in her ancestral home of New Zealand, where her work was a selected finalist for the prestigious Adam Portraiture Award and chosen for a national tour through the New Zealand Portrait Gallery. Her two illustrated books have been purchased for the permanent heritage collections of New Zealand's National Library, amoung others.
Photo by Almin Smailovi​c
Carolin Leary Prinn is a Fantastical Fine Artist, Painter, Illustrator & Author - art-of-carolin-prinn, symbolic art, surreal art, esoteric art, fantasy art, mystical art, spiritual art, beautiful bizarre artist directory, International ARC Salon, Adam Portraiture Award, Florence Academy of Art, Savannah College of Art and Design, new contemporary artist, fantasy artist
Publication & Press
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2024 Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, Issue 45, archived in "The Polaris Collection" of The Lunar Codex
2019 International A.R.C. Salon Publication, Issue 14, Art Renewal Center
2017 Dir. Mette Skougaard, Denmark Museum of National History, Artist Talk - The New Zealand Portrait Gallery
2015 Renegade Peach Productions - Artist Feature - Wellington, New Zealand
2015 ZHIZHY - Artist Feature - Wellington, New Zealand
2015 RadioActive FM - Artist Interview - New Zealand
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Selected Exhibitions
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GROUP
2025 Upcoming: January, "Art of Lore" - Poetic Tiger Gallery - Idaho, U.S.A.
2024 Upcoming: December, "P.S." - Nucleus Portland - Oregon, U.S.A.
2024 Upcoming: November, "Enigmatic World of Owls" - Poetic Tiger Gallery - Idaho, U.S.A.
2024 "The Portrait Show 12: Myth" - Modern Eden Gallery - San Francisco, U.S.A.
2023 The Frankfurt Book Fair - Germany
2020 Student Exhibition Online - The Florence Academy of Art - Italy
2019 The Parkin Drawing Prize - The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts - Wellington
2018 The Parkin Drawing Prize - The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts - Wellington
2017 The Adam Portraiture Award Exhibition - The New Zealand Portrait Gallery - Wellington
2017 "Wanderlust" & "Vernissage" - PRO4 - Berlin, Germany
2016 N.Z.P.G. National Tour - Hastings City Art Gallery - New Zealand
2015 N.Z.P.G. National Tour - Millennium Public Art Gallery - New Zealand
2015 The New Zealand Art Show - TSB Arena - Wellington, New Zealand
2015 "Art4Vanuatu" - Bartley + Company Art - Wellington, New Zealand
2015 "Exhibit One" - 2 Eva Street - Wellington, New Zealand
2014 N.Z.P.G. National Tour - Percy Thompson Gallery - New Zealand
2014 N.Z.P.G. National Tour - PAH Homestead - New Zealand
2014 The Adam Portraiture Award Exhibition - The New Zealand Portrait Gallery
2013 "Artist Showcase" - Deluxe - Wellington, New Zealand
2013 "Prints Showcase" - Kaan Zamaan Gallery - Kerikeri, New Zealand
2010 "Vernissage" - Rue Tromphime - Provence, France
2010 "Exposition" - Isle Sur La Sorgue, Provence, France
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SOLO
2016 "Worlds" - Deluxe - Wellington, New Zealand
2014 "Entrance To The Secret Worlds" - Deluxe - Wellington, New Zealand
2013 "The Primordials" - Deluxe - Wellington, New Zealand​
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Awards & Honours
2022 16th International A.R.C. Salon, Semi-Finalist (Three Categories)
2021 Scholarship, The Florence Academy of Art, Italy
2019 14th International A.R.C. Salon, Finalist (Figurative Category)
2019 Finalist, Parkin Drawing Prize, The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts
2018 Finalist, Parkin Drawing Prize, The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts
2016 Finalist, Adam Portraiture Award, The New Zealand Portrait Gallery
2014 Finalist, Adam Portraiture Award, The New Zealand Portrait Gallery
2014 Adam Portraiture Award National Tour, The New Zealand Portrait Gallery
2010 The Savannah College of Art & Design, Painting Residency, Lacoste, France
2010 Invited to graduate level courses, The Savannah College of Art & Design, U.S.A.
2007 - 2010 Dean's List, The Savannah College of Art & Design, U.S.A.
2007 - 2010 Artistic Scholarship Award, The Savannah College of Art & Design
2006 - Offered Artistic Scholarship from The San Francisco Academy of Art
2002 - Honourable Mention in Sculpture, The Scholastic Art Award, U.S.A.​​
Collections & Clients
PUBLIC:
The Alexander Turnbull National Library of New Zealand
Otago University Hocken Library, Dunedin, New Zealand
Otago University Library Main, Dunedin, New Zealand
Sankt Marien Kirchengemeide, Leipzig, Germany
Pansy Detwhiler Press, U.S.A.
Raiffeisenbank, Austria
Regjo, Germany
SkyDeck Music, U.S.A.
ZHIZHY, Wellington, New Zealand
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PRIVATE:
United States, New Zealand, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Austria, Germany, India
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Books
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2021 The Spirit of Shadows, written & illustrated by Carolin Leary Prinn
2015 The Primordials & Tales from The Islands of Niljora, written & illustrated by Carolin Leary Prinn
Education
2010 B.F.A. with Honours, Savannah College of Art & Design, U.S.A.
2019 - 2021 Painting Program, Florence Academy of Art, Italy
2017 Workshop, Per Olav Olsen and Melissa Franklin Sanchez, Florence Academy of Art, Italy
2008 White Cloud Workshops, concept art w. Paul Tobin (WETA), New Zealand
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