Meet the artist: Caroline Lundqvist

11 years ago, Caroline Lundqvist was travelling through Thailand and decided to order a takeaway of oysters. Little did she know that her dinner that evening would change her career. Sitting on her hotel bed ready to taste her first ever oyster, she was mesmerised by the contrast of the rough shell and the soft and fragile inside.
- It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. In some ways I think oysters are a lot like us humans. This hard shell we sometimes hide behind, our sensual being and most vulnerable parts. I think sometimes we’re afraid of not being accepted for who we are, of being hurt or misunderstood.

The oysters sparked something in Caroline and opened up a new world. Her style as an artist changed, from painting geometric forms to exploring softer shapes and colors.
- Oysters are like eyes, they are all unique, she says.

Caroline wants to depict the beauty overlooked in the world. As a child, she was happiest sitting at the kitchen table surrounded by glitter, glue, clay and watercolors. Now her living room has become her creative space. Caroline spends her evenings and nights sitting or lying on the floor surrounded by brushes and paint. Her playlists are an important part of the creative process: the making of her most famous piece “Faded High” was to the sound of M83 and Odesza.
- Usually a piece can take one or two months to complete, it slowly comes to life. But “Faded High” was different. I worked on that piece every day, non-stop night after night. I was inspired by space and the concept of infinity.
- I love painting at night. The whole world stands still and I feel like I’m the only one awake.

Caroline is a self-taught artist, driven by the need to express her feelings and thoughts through shapes and colors.
- My mother used to paint when I was little. She drew faces, beautiful women with huge eyes. I remember she used to draw mermaids for me to color in. I don’t know why she stopped painting, I guess life got in the way. I think about it quite a lot, especially when everything feels trivial. Will I also stop painting one day? I can’t imagine life without it.

Caroline shows us some of her pieces that are yet to be completed. She has started experimenting with oil paints, alongside the calming muted colors and chromatic greys she first fell in love with.
- I never know what the finished art piece will look like. When I start painting I might have an idea but I can’t predict what it will evolve into. I can't paint on command, I need to feel something. I want to show people the beauty I see and feel around me.