About the Artist
Caroline Zimmermann - Biography of a Surfer and Artist
"I paint to live, and I live to paint."
Whether searching for powder, the perfect wave, or the perfect light to paint, Caroline's passion for travel has led her to all hemispheres of the earth.
Caroline's paintings in oils document her experiences in the vastly different environs of the South Pacific, Caribbean, Tuscany, Provence, the English countryside, and Indonesia, as well as the coast and mountains of her native California. In her richly painted compositions, shadows and vibrant colors create deep impressions evoking memories among those familiar with these settings.
“For 48 years I have been painting in oils. My painting process has always served as a way of physically communicating the memories of my life’s experiences and my travels.”
Caroline began painting in oils at the age of six, nurtured by creative parents and then immersed herself in the artistically rich setting of Laguna Beach.
Swell Girl, Surfer Girl
It was in Laguna Beach that Caroline began surfing as a teenager. She soon became an accomplished surfer and before long she was considered one of the most notable female surfers in California. Seeking to broaden her horizons, she set out for surfing destinations around the world. This introduced her to an opportunity to paint exotic locales such as Bali, Fiji, Tahiti, South Africa, Barbados, the Maldives and El Salvador among others. Surfing was a passport to travel, and with time, her painting sustained her lifestyle.
Caroline Zimmermann, Laguna Beach
This genre of painting brought Caroline early success and acclaim as an artist. Her work was featured in numerous surf publications, including two featured articles in The Surfers Journal. Caroline continues to surf whenever possible and can often be seen catching waves in Southern California with her brother-in-law, surf legend Mickey Muñoz.
“I begin the creative process by experiencing life. Moments in time are not simply recorded. They are a culmination of, much like experiences my painting process is.”
A Master of Fine Art
In 1992, after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Caroline was accepted with scholarship to the California College of the Arts in Oakland. Her surfing travels were only slightly curtailed as she dedicated herself to mastering her craft. She devoted herself towards achieving her Master of Fine Art, which was successfully completed in 1994.
Changing Tides: From Surf to Turf, Seascapes to Landscape Paintings
In the mid-nineties Caroline was drawn to more terrestrial inspirations: those of Tuscany and Provence. The tremendous response to these paintings encouraged her to return and discover the variations in color, light and atmosphere of all four seasons.
Her travels were halted, only briefly however, in early 1997 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 32. Aggressive treatment was necessary, but even surgery and the rigors of chemotherapy did not keep her from continuing with her plans to spend that spring in Tuscany. With the encouragement of her oncologist, help from family and her Italian friends, she carried on with her plans and had two courses of chemotherapy in Pisa.
“It was the best time of my life during the worst time of my life... and since that spring, I return to Tuscany to be well.”
- Read the blog post "The Tuscan Landscapes of Caroline Zimmermann".
- Read the blog post "Behind-the-Scenes Photography"
Returning visits to Tuscany and Provence over the past 20 years has inspired countless paintings of the Italian and Provencal countryside and provided the means to establish a studio and gallery, Atelier del Corvo, first in Il Borro, the Ferragamo estate, and then in Loro Ciuffenna just south of Florence. The ability to travel Europe and create in Tuscany, her place of healing, has given a profound depth to her works: An intimate view that goes far beyond a traveler’s passing observations, yet which resonates with those who have ventured into the Tuscan countryside. Caroline has had numerous exhibitions in Florence and St. Paul de Vence, and many of her paintings have gone on to garner international attention.
“I often say that I paint to live and I live to paint”
"West of the Gate" Hollister Ranch
Home Is Where the Heart Is
Caroline Zimmermann's U.S. residence and studio is in the artist's community of Laguna Beach, where she has lived, surfed and painted for over 30 years. For 24 of those years, she was an exhibitor at the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts. Her California coastal paintings, from Laguna Beach to Hollister Ranch, have been a favourite with collectors, and many of them feature her favourite surf spots.
One notable painting she created during that period was entitled "La Vita e Bella". It became one of the most recognised of all Tuscan landscape paintings in the modern era for two reasons: 1) The painting depicted the Tuscan farmhouse featured in Roberto Benigni's Academy Award winning film "Life is Beautiful", and 2) The oil painting was chosen as the official poster for the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts in 2010. It is one of many paintings that can be viewed in "Terra", Caroline Zimmermann's large collection of landscape paintings on this website.
Provence
In 2020 Caroline received a "Passeport Talent" from the French government granting her an artistic residency and has been welcomed with a "Guest of Honour" exhibition at the Centre Culturel Simone Signoret at Chateau Arnoux. In 2022 Caroline opened Atelier 25, a magnificent studio, darkroom, and gallery with her husband, photographer and filmmaker John Charles Jopson, and artist Isabelle de Marco. Atelier 25 is located in the picturesque village perché of Montfort in haute Provence.
The Galleries
Caroline's work is featured at Lahaina Galleries, one of Hawaii’s best known and established fine art venues. Her work is also featured at the Atelier del Corvo galleries in Laguna Beach and Tuscany, The Fairmont Gallery in Sonoma... and Graham Fine Art in London’s Crouch End proudly represents her work in the UK. She divides her time between Laguna Beach, Provence and Tuscany, and a few months every year are spent traveling the world, gathering images and life experiences.
Process: How a Caroline Zimmermann Painting is Created
Caroline’s years of education and painting experience culminate in works that are labor-intensive as well as creatively executed. Evident in her works is the mastery of diverse oil painting techniques which reflect life-long years of experimentation, study, and observation. In her smaller still life and en plein air sketches, she revels in spontaneous a la prima paint application. Time consuming studio pieces are thoughtfully created with numerous paint layers and glazes applied onto linen. The resulting paintings vary with surfaces ranging from the deeply transparent to creamy opaque; all celebrating her love for her medium, oil painting.
Terroir, The Absinthe Drinkers and the Lockdown Films
Caroline Zimmermann has also served as Producer and Art Director on several motion picture films, most recently “Terroir” starring Keith Carradine which won the Best World Cinema Prize at the WCFF. Terroir is a provocative and stylish updating of Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask of Amontillado. She also collaborated with her husband, photographer and film director John Charles Jopson, in developing the European television series “The Absinthe Drinkers”, exploring the darker side of bohemian Montmartre and Florence in the late 19th century. Caroline has created numerous Post-Impressionist style paintings for the series including portraits of the decadent, opium-addicted central characters.
Caroline’s initial study of the art dealer in The Absinthe Drinkers story, "Eduardo Gautier", won the Best in Show, Figurative and the Juror's Award at the 2010 Salon International.
“I’ve always considered myself an old soul, but painting these characters in period costumes brings a distant past to my present…something that resonates, and evokes a strange familiarity within me.”
With the pandemic of 2020 came successive lockdowns in Provence and Tuscany. Collaborating with her trapped filmmaker husband and the film composers at JBD MusicWorks, Caroline created a series of "lockdown films" within the confines of her Tuscan garden and the Chateau of Montfort in Provence, each short film featuring one of her large format paintings.
EDUCATION
1984 Laguna Beach School of Art
1982-1989 California State University, Fullerton
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Illustration
1992-1994 California College of the Arts and Crafts, Oakland
Master of Fine Arts, Painting
GALLERIES
Atelier del Corvo, Laguna Beach
Lahaina Galleries, Maui and the Island of Hawaii
Graham Fine Art, London UK
Fairmont Gallery, Sonoma, California
Atelier del Corvo, Tuscany
CORPORATE AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Sir Michael Smurfit
Yvon and Malinda Chouinard
Patagonia Corporation
The Chart House
Inglenook Vineyards
Carrabba’s
Paul and Barbara Mandel
John Baldeschweiler
Chris Carter
Nordstrom’s
Fives and Heronians Cricket Club
Ascanio Sforza Cesarini, Duca Di Sforza (Duke of Milan)
Princess Giulia Ferrara Pignatelli di Strongoli
Salvatore Ferragamo
Elizabeth Perkins and Julio Macat
Keith Carradine
Peter Weller
FILMS
Flamant Rose 2021
Short Film
Writer, Featured Artist
Formidable 2021/22
Feature documentary, Filming in Provence
Featured Artist
Peonia 2021
Short Film
Featured Artist
Aquarelle 2020
Short Film
Featured Artist
The Insectarium 2020
Short Film (in production summer 2020)
Writer, Featured Artist
The Mongoose: The Story of Surf Legend Mickey Muñoz
Feature Documentary (in production 2020-2022)
Executive Producer, Art Director
Portrait of an Artist in Her Tuscan Garden 2020
Short Film - BBC2
Featured Artist
Rhode Trip 2020
Short Film
Featured Artist
Peonies 2020
Short Film
Featured Artist
Caroline Zimmermann: Painting 'Bee, Breeze and Poppies' 2020
Short Film
Featured Artist
Scarlet Poppies 2018
Short Film
Featured Artist
The Rose Arbor: An Artist at Work 2016
Short Film
Featured Artist
Painting at Graham Fine Art 2015
Painting demo
Featured Artist
The Weed Eater 2015
Short Film
Production Designer, Executive Producer
Terroir 2014
Feature Film (World Premiered 2014)
Production Designer, Producer
Oggi siamo con... Caroline Zimmermann (Today we are with... Caroline Zimmermann) 2013
Interview/Profile
Valdarno Post, (in Italian)
Sanctified 2010
Short Film
Art Director, Executive Producer
Short Film
Art Director, Executive Producer
"Sich Treiben Lassen: Die Malerei von Karl Stengel" 2008
Documentary
Participating artist, Paneuropa Film
"The Castaways: Dreaming of Italy" 2003
Caroline Zimmermann in Tuscany
Documentary, Fine Living Channel
BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS
Flora 2024 A comprehensive collection of Caroline's floral still life paintings. Limited Edition.
Acqua 2024 A collection of Caroline's varied water paintings from seascapes to waves to semi-abstract. Limited Edition.
Surf Story Vol 2 2017 "Greatest collection of surf art and surf stories EVER!" The Epic and Massive, Limited edition, full color coffee table book. Featuring the art, photos, surfing and stories by more than 100 iconic surfer artists/creatives. Havassy Publishing
The Surfer's Journal Vol 3 1994 Caroline Zimmermann - Brought to Life (Cover article)
Who is a Surfer? Coloring Book 1994 Illustrations by Caroline Zimmermann
The Surfer's Journal Vol 5 1996 A String of Pearls in the Arabian Sea by Caroline Zimmermann
Los Angeles Times 1999 For Laguna Beach Painter, Caroline Zimmermann, The World is Her Canvas
Los Angeles Times 1987 Surfing: No Longer Just a Men's Club
Laguna Beach Magazine Swell Girls: Laguna’s Women of the Waves Marge Calhoun, Alisa Schwarzstein Cairns, Joyce Hoffman, Caroline Zimmermann, and Taylor Pitz.
SPACE Magazine “Caroline Zimmermann Lives and Paints with Passion” (Cover article)
How to Commission a Pet Portrait by David Bloom (Blog) 2020
Books
Books from Walter Foster Publishing:
“Street Scenes Around the World”
Caroline Zimmermann
Caroline Zimmermann
Caroline Zimmermann
Caroline Zimmermann
“Beginner’s Guide: Get Started Painting”
Caroline Zimmermann
Walter Foster Online: “The Absinthe Drinkers: An Artistic Look at the 19th Century”
Caroline Zimmermann
AFFILIATIONS
Oil Painters Association of America
La Maison des Artistes, France
