Cara VL has had a lifelong obsession with horses; when they were no longer a part of her life everything became disoriented. ​

 

At the age of nine, Cara began taking riding lessons and eventually found true love competing in the jumper ring. The stable taught Cara discipline and order, something sorely missing in her home life. Her barn rat friends became family and the horses offered a type of peace and kindness she desperately longed for.

 

This magical life with horses seemingly ended when Cara left her hometown of Ft. Wayne IN to study photojournalism at Western Kentucky University. She performed remarkably well with a camera, earning numerous awards including The Alexia as well as interning at newspapers throughout the country. Always a creative, Cara not only relied heavily on photography but breakdancing and graffiti as well to keep her soul full. However, the loss of horses was marked.

 

Always a gypsy at heart, Cara lived and worked in Duluth MN, London UK, Albuquerque NM and St Louis MO. She was growing despondent working corporate jobs but refused to believe it was linked to the absence of horses. She was tethered to psychiatric drugs and hospital stays and excuses. And then the 2008 recession happened, greatly affecting her life — everything was lost — the job, the house, her comfort. 

 

In one of the last unrehabbed lofts in downtown STL Cara rented a loft. It was full of artists who encouraged her to paint. In 2011 Cara created her first painting, a 6'x6' of two horses embracing. The only work she could find was as a carriage driver which reunited her with horses and reignited the passion that had been dormant for far too long. When she smelled her heavy horse sweating during a warm day (horses have a very distinct, sweet smell) there was an almost audible sigh resonating from her soul. She was back on track. 

 

Cara paints only horses in thick, layered oils. Her career as an artist is an homage to the animals who brought her life color and meaning again. The horses are depicted with exceptionally long legs, reflecting their fragility and the fragility of life. The backgrounds are often simple in nature showcasing a laser focus on the subject matter. A variety of techniques and tools are used to achieve hyper textured oil paintings inspired by a true passion for process in both painting and horse training. Glazing, layering, and thinned paint along with the use of brushes, pallet knives, and fingers lend to the canvas’ depth and movement.

 

Today Cara splits her time between St Louis and Ocala FL.