Carolina Coto

I'm Carolina, a "born and raised" Costa Rican artist, now residing on the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina in the United States, where I moved to be with my husband ❤️

When I was about 9, my dad, who was a great hobbyist painter, picked up his brushes again after a few years break. He started taking the family to little art shows in the city (in San José, Costa Rica) on the weekends, where he would chat with the artists and get tips to grow his own practice. Since then, I wanted to be an artist too.

When I was about 15, I remember arguing in the car with my dad on the way to see my grandparents (in Costa Rica it is not unusual for the whole family to gather every Sunday. In my family's case, my paternal grandparents’ house was the "club house"). We were arguing because he really wanted me to go to University and I kept saying I didn't want to go. He asked why? I said: "because all I want is to be an artist", he said I could study art in University (I have no idea why my teenager self was not aware of this fact...). "Oh!, then I do want to go to University" I said. I did go to University, in fact, I love studying in general, I'm quite a nerd.

I graduated with a BFA with emphasis in painting in 2007 from University of Costa Rica and I've been a full time artist now for 10 years. I love it. This is my passion, this is my happy place and I hope my art can bring some joy into your life and your home as well.

Since moving to the Outer Banks in 2011, my art, which had been filled mainly with urban scenery and crowded buildings, began to be influenced by the beautiful surroundings of my new home. As a result you can now see, more often than not, representative elements of the landscapes/seascapes from this part of the world in my work.