Carol Cole was a Southern girl who came of age in the 1960s and did what she felt was expected of her. She found a good doctor to marry, had children and spent her days taking care of other people’s needs. She took her first art class in the early ‘70s, and even though her mother told her she did not have an artistic bone in her body, Cole decided she wanted to be an artist.
Much of her early work tackled her fears and insecurities, and art became a form of therapy for Cole. One of her art teachers and mentors told her to draw herself as the world sees her. She drew a breast with an inverted nipple. As she developed her technique, she continued with a common theme: the female breast.
After finding herself divorced with children to support, Cole put her passion on hold to pursue a career as computer programmer where she blazed the trail as one of the few women working the field in the 1980s. She found love again, and her new relationship led her back to art.
A current exhibit at The Weatherspoon Guild Gallery in Greensboro showcases Cole’s work and some of the art from her personal collection. Cole and exhibit curator Emily Stamey join host Frank Stasio at the Triad Stage in downtown Greensboro to talk about decades of producing art, how the breast became a focal point for her work and how she is creating opportunities for local artists to get national exposure. “Carol Cole: Cast a Clear Light” runs through June 17, 2018.
