Website: josefcaro.com | Wikipedia page
Caro left academic medicine in 2008 and went back to school to study fine arts. Along with this non-degree formal education, for several years Caro has been painting with colleagues while attending art classes and workshops. After submission of his portfolio, he was jury-elected Associate Member of the Pastel Society of America, the Degas Pastel Society, the Indiana Artists, and became a Member of Excellence at the Southeaster Pastel Society.
Since then Caro’s pastel paintings have been juried at various US and international exhibits. One notable piece of his pastel paintings is "I Am Not a Little Girl Anymore" presented at the 23rd International Association of Pastel Societies Juried Exhibition, and awarded 3rd place in the Artist’s Magazine January 2014 contest. The painting is said to “capture the sense of isolation and alienation that so often accompany a girl’s journey into adolescence.
Another significant piece of Caro’s is the pastel "Maternity," juried at the 10th Annual Northeast National Pastel Exhibition and receiving the “Outstanding Portrait Award.” According to jurors, this painting represents “a metaphor of modern family, the interplay between the oldest of bonds between a mother and daughter and the new technology, the tension between physical connection and mental distance; each of the two is in her own universe on her own device—yet both warmly bonded together.” Also, "Maternity" was one of eight paintings selected at the Indy’s Indiana Bicentennial Exhibition.
Another piece, "The Hug," received the Art-Inspired Story Award at the Peninsula Art League 2015 Juried Art Show. The poet Judith Cullen wrote a story inspired by "The Hug."
Another pastel painting by Caro, "Choices," earned an Award of Merit from the Degas Pastel Society. Caro's inspiration for his realistic and psychological paintings are mainly his family and the sea.
Click here to view the enlarged painting images.
