Carol Chandler knew from a young age that she was destined to become an artist. The Urbanna-based painter, who operates Art Chandler Gallery, recalls as a child replicating images she saw in the back of the TV guide, drawing them with ease.
“I think everybody is an artist; it’s what is in all of us,” she says. “I think I knew from about first or second grade that I could make art that people like. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t make things. I’ve always admired art.”
Growing up, her mother, Helen, used to take her to art museums and encouraged her talent. These days, Chandler’s mom remains her biggest fan. Her mother’s dining room has been converted into an art studio where Chandler does her best creative work, while the walls of her mom’s home are adorned with pieces Chandler made through the years. A framed picture of a cat Chandler drew using a quill pen as a teenager hangs in the hallway.
“She has a lot of my paintings,” Chandler says. “I’ve been painting animals for a long time. I am very lucky that she has allowed me to use her dining room for my space. I think I’ve made more art in the past couple of months than I have in the past few years combined. It’s been fabulous.”
A floral painting created by her great-grandmother, Clara, also has a special place on the wall, as a reminder of Chandler’s roots. “My family, my mother, my sisters, we are all artistic in our own way,” Chandler says. “My mom is an avid art collector and has art from all over the world.”
Chandler and her husband, Terry, whom she met in high school, spent most of their married life in Hampton Roads before relocating to the Middle Peninsula three years ago to be closer to her mother. She works as an office assistant at Isabell K. Horsley Real Estate in Urbanna and paints on the side. Chandler considers herself a mixed media fine artist and uses watercolor, acrylics, oils, beads, sequins, and fabrics in her artwork, depending on her mood.
“I use anything that I can find that I feel should go into a piece,” she says. “I am inspired by things that remind me of play, joy, love, all those kinds of feelings. I like light and nature. If there is anything that I feel I connect with, then I just have to make it.”
She has a particular fondness for waterfowl and recently created a series of mixed media pieces of egrets she has entitled No r-Egrets. The paintings feature lace, thread, and linen scraps within the painted feathers and remind Chandler of a bride on her wedding day.
“It’s about the bride of Christ being ready for the bridegroom to come and not having any regrets when Jesus comes back,” she says. “I love egrets and herons. We live in such a beautiful area, and they are everywhere. Each of my pieces inform my next piece, and it’s been a lot of fun to discover along the way.”
FAITH ALSO PLAYS A PREDOMINANT ROLE IN
HER ARTWORK.
“I am aware of the presence of God most of the time, and I like to bring that fellowship into what I create,” she says. “When I am creating, I pray for the person who the painting is for. I ask God what colors to use and which direction I should take. He gives me the inspiration. He is brilliant, like with the egret paintings. He allows me to express myself through art.”
Chandler often quotes Bible verses on the back of her artwork. The Storm is Coming: This too Shall Pass came from and was titled from Psalm 57:1” Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” Chandler said, “This painting was created in July and August before Hurricanes Helene and Milton were forecasted. It is prophetic and gives me hope.”
In August, her third painting in the No r-Egrets series earned a first place honor and tied for the People’s Choice award in a RAL Art Center show. At the end of September, she finished the fifth and sixth paintings in the series.
Chandler, a mother of three and grandmother of five who also likes to worship, sing, and dance, can often be found in her art studio multiple times a week. She also frequents her church, Living Waters Church in Gloucester County. She has instructed Paint Day events through local churches and at private homes on occasion, which she hopes to continue whenever her schedule allows. Currently, her work is on display and for sale at various venues throughout the area, including at Isabell K. Horsley Real Estate in Urbanna; RAL Art Center in Kilmarnock; Flyer, her niece’s store in Irvington; RS Bristow Store, in Urbanna and through her website at www.artchandlergallery.com or her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Artchandlergallery/.
Chandler’s eventual goal is to showcase her pieces at various art shows and festivals. “I just want to continue to make artwork that I love, art that speaks to people, connects to people, and maybe even change their lives,” she says.