Yvonne Carroll, an Irish-born Australian artist, creates bodies of work that are powerful, passionate, vibrant, and deeply inspired by dance and movement.
Her artistic journey has led to solo exhibitions in Perth, Western Australia, and Dublin, Ireland, while her pieces have found homes in private collections across Australia and overseas.
Yvonne’s enduring passion for dance, encompassing ballet, Greek, and Egyptian styles, fuels her artwork with a distinct vibrancy and motion. As both a dance tutor and performer, Yvonne infuses her paintings with a distinctive energy that breathes life into each piece, stirring in the viewer a rekindled sense of love and joy for life.
Yvonne, an acclaimed artist, earned her Fine Arts degree from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland. Since relocating to Australia, she has remained dedicated to her craft, pursuing her passions in painting, drawing, and teaching art and dance. Presently, Yvonne devotes herself as a full-time artist in Fremantle, Western Australia.
Artist Statement:
Science and philosophy delve into truth and knowledge-seeking, while art embraces the poetic path of creation and the delight procured by beauty. While one strives to grasp reality through abstract intellect, the other catches glimpses of the spirit within the flesh.
Like poetry, art seeks the enigmatic. It yearns for a transcendent realitywhich when glimpsed, enlarges the perfections of our spirit and the horizons of our hearts.
For, as quoted by Blaise Pascal, “The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of” (Pensees).
I am particularly drawn to life drawing and portraiture, including capturing the essence of children. Each human being holds an innate mystery that is unrivaled. Additionally, I find immense joy in painting dance and movement, as I am a dancer myself. Through my art, I can truly express the emotions conveyed through dance.
What inspires me the most is expressing the human form, exploring its mysterious depths, and evoking various emotional states and personalities. I strive to awaken in the viewer a fresh sense of spontaneity, movement, and a rekindled dream of love, hope, and the sheer joy of life.
In alignment with the aforementioned artistic philosophy, I am drawn to expressive and impressionistic styles, favouring them over strict realism. Working from live subjects enables me to be genuinely honest in my artistic expressions, a quality I hold dear.
I firmly believe that art should not be confined solely to full-time or professional artists. There is an “artist” within all of us that yearns to be nurtured. It longs to emerge and enrich the way we think and act. Far too often, it remains suppressed and unfulfilled, settling for half-hearted attempts, mediocrity, and a sense of disillusionment. This is why I am passionate about teaching art and conducting life drawing classes for people from all walks of life and of all ages. It is through this artistic expression within us that we can re-enchant our world and yearn for a vision that defies categorization. As wisely stated by Plato, “Without vision, the people perish” (Dialogues).