merlin Artwork

B.1953, Vancouver, Washington BIO Carolyn Krieg is a Seattle-based photographer. Her subject matter spans a range of ideas but always engages memory, both personal and collective. Her approach to photography is experimental—much of her work fuses traditional camerawork and new digital technologies. Carolyn Krieg holds a BA in French language and linguistics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She also attended Westmont College, Santa Barbara; American College in Paris, Paris, France; Portland State University, Portland, OR; Marylhurst College, Marylhurst, OR; University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Carolyn’s work is included in the collections of: Biblioteque Nationale de France, Paris, France; Seattle Art Museum, WA; University of Alaska Museum, Fairbanks, AK; Portland Art Museum, OR; and Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL. She was awarded artist residencies in Newfoundland and Portugal. She was Vice President of the Seattle Art Museum Photography Council and is in “Who’s Who in American Art.” Her public projects include work for the Art in Public Places Programs for both Seattle Arts Commission and Washington State Arts Commissions; Eastern Washington University Press; King County Public Art Program; and Seattle City Light Portable Works. Carolyn’s more than 45 solo exhibitions in Canada, Europe, and the U.S. include shows at: Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle, WA; Elizabeth Leach Gallery and Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR; Missoula Art Museum, Missoula, MT; and Sun Valley Arts Center, Sun Valley, ID. In addition to making art, she has worked at the Hospital of Wildlife (HOWL) and volunteered with two organizations that use animals therapeutically (the Delta Society and Little Bit Riders).  STATEMENT: My work has always been about memory, exploring it and engaging with the collective memory. I believe that to forget everything is to lose the soul, but remembering can mean the loss of the ability to forgive. The answer must lie in between those extremes. One impetus for my work stems from a horse accident where I lost the day and myself. For a terrifying 5 hours, I didn't know who I was, where I was, or why I was. That day never came back. Memory and its morphing fascinates me. Animals and the messages/mystery passed between creatures of different awareness occupied my work from the beginning. Family and friends became subjects as I moved through one loss to another.