Caroline Gaudreault is a magical realism Canadian painter born in Alma, Quebec. She was raised in a creative environment that became a way of life from an early age. She studied visual arts at Collège d'Alma and pursued university studies in literature, history, Spanish and programming. For several years, she held various jobs in these fields of study, while practicing art sporadically. But it was when she moved to Mexico to live for a few years that she discovered Mexican Day of the Dead imagery and began painting and drawing again. Fascinated by these skeletons with eyes festooned with flowers that are depicted in mundane everyday situations, she paints a few works that feature living half-skeletal, half-human or animal characters.
In 2018, she started focusing more seriously on art and refining her distinctive visual identity, drawing inspiration from both Mexican folklore and classical portraiture. She incorporates blooming empty eye sockets as a reminder of the ephemeral nature of life, such as the “memento mori”, (remember that you're going to die). Her paintings represent a unique blend of whimsy and darkness, highlighting the beauty and fragility of life, as well as the extraordinary and banal aspects of everyday life.
EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS:
2026
Sept 26 - Something Evil Lurks, Nanny Goat Gallery (group exhibition), Petaluma, United-States
August - Small Works 2026, Beinart Gallery (group exhibition), Merbourne, Australia
July 31 - The Feminine Mystique, Nanny Goat Gallery (group exhibition), Petaluma, United-States
April 18 - Stardust Hymns, Poetic Tiger Gallery (group exhibition), United-States
March 21 - Meliorism, Curated by Thinkspace Projects (group exhibition), Harman Projects, New York, United-States
Feb 20 - Imagine, Nanny Goat Gallery (group exhibition), Petaluma, United-States
Jan 31 - Cabinet of Curiosities, Beinart Gallery (group exhibition), Melbourne, Australia
2025
Dec 13: 3rd Annual Posctard Show, Brassworks Gallery (group exhibition), Portland, United States
Dec 5: Moments of Illumination, hosted by WOW x WOW online Gallery
Nov 8: Extracurricular Activities, Thinkspace Projects (group exhibition), Los Angeles, United States
Oct 10: Symposium d'art contemporain de Rivière-Éternité, Rivière-Éternité, Quebec, Canada
Oct 3: Fear to Tread, Nanny Goat Gallery (group exhibition), Petaluma, United States
Sept 17: The Earth Laughs In Flowers: the 11th Annual Exploring the New Contemporary Movement, Curated by Thinkspace Projects, Taking place at the Capitol Modern Museum Honolulu, Hawai'i
July 1: Daughters of Eve, Quirky Fox Gallery (group exhibition), Hawera, New Zealand
June 27: Beyond the Sea, Nanny Goat Gallery (group exhibition), Petaluma, United States
May 10: Connections, Brassworks Gallery (group exhibition), Portland, United States
May 9: La rose est une rose est une rose, 3 persons show, Serres Dame-Nature, St-Gédéon, Canada
April 26: Dreamland Awaits, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine curated group Exhibition, Corey Helford Gallery, Los Angeles, United States
March 7: 2025 Spotlight Showcase Exhibition, Arch Enemy Arts (group exhibition), Philadelphia, United States
Feb 21: Roots, Nanny Goat Gallery (group exhibition), Petaluma, United States
Jan 10: Ascending Signals, hosted by WOW x WOW online Gallery
2024
Dec 13: Filling the Void: Antithesis, Musonium Gallery (group exhibition), Palm Springs, United States
Sept 20: Good and Evil, Nanny Goat Gallery (group exhibition), Petaluma, United States
July 24: RX, Quirky Fox Gallery (group exhibition), Hawera, New Zealand
July 12: Ephemeral, Nanny Goat Gallery (group exhibition), Petaluma, United States
June 29: Kirby Vision: A Tribute to Jack Kirby, Group exhibition presented by Corey Helford Gallery and the Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center, Los Angeles, United States
Feb 24: Care Bears Forever, Corey Helford Gallery (group exhibition), Los Angeles, United States
Jan 13: Art Collector Starter Kit X, Corey Helford Gallery (group exhibition), Los Angeles, United States
Past
2023: MASS, The Biggest Little Show, Modern Eden Gallery (group exhibition), San Francisco, United-States
2020: Portraits ambivalents, Café Cambio (solo exhibition), Chicoutimi, Canada
PRESS & PUBLICATIONS:
2025: 4me4you (Fashion & Art Journal), 4me4you features “Le tonique”. (See article)
2023-2024: Réseau Culture Saguenay Lac-Saint-Jean, featured in a TV commercial for the campaign Promotion arts+
2023: Ici Radio-Canada, Une belle rencontre de l’artiste Caroline Gaudreault à l’École Saint-Joseph d’Alma (See article)
2021: Beautiful Bizarre Magazine (Blog Article), Behind the Scenes: Caroline Gaudreault’s Chickadeer Painting. From Concept to Completion (See article)
2021: Beautiful Bizarre Magazine (Blog Article), Dark Whimsy: Caroline Gaudreault’s Floral Festooned Soul Windows (See article)