Carole Rainey Art

ARTIST’S BACKGROUND

I have always loved art. After finishing school, I was offered a place to study at The Belfast College of Art. However, I was encouraged to pursue a different career path and became a Physical Education teacher instead. My teaching career began at the school level, but I quickly advanced to lecturing at Garnerville College of Domestic Science and then at the Ulster College of Physical Education, Jordanstown, where I had originally trained.

Despite my career in physical education, I maintained a strong interest in art, pursuing it as a hobby for many years. I took numerous courses in drawing, painting, creative design and copper work and also studied with Kenneth Webb at the Irish School of Landscape Painting. I joined the Ballymena Vis Art Group, became a member and Diploma Holder of the Ulster Society of Women Artists and a member of the Arts Society of Ulster.

In 1997, I decided to take my art more seriously. I applied for a place at The Ulster University, Faculty of Art, to study painting. I was accepted and completed a B.A. Hons degree in Fine Art in 2000. Following my graduation, I began to exhibit my work more widely throughout Northern Ireland.

Unfortunately, due to ill health and family commitments, I was unable to paint for a significantly long period, over 15 years. However, in the past two years, I have returned to painting and have been working steadily in my new studio in Randalstown, Co. Antrim. This return to art has brought a renewed determination to advance my work and reach a wider audience, both in Northern Ireland and beyond.