Caroline Gates is a figurative artist who explores themes of identity, agency, and human connection. Working in oil paint and soft pastel, Gates typically creates quiet work, looking at figures or objects in muted, pared down settings. A long time lover of poetry, where every word and punctuation mark matters, Gates likes to think about her subjects, color choices, and brush marks in a similar way. Her work is often quiet, stripped down to the bare essentials or even fragments of an idea. Inspired by artists like Edward Hopper and Bo Bartlett, Gates’ images have a narrative feel, as if each piece is a mere glimpse or clip from a larger scene. She places viewers in the moment, left to decide the context on their own.

Born and raised in the American South, Gates recieved her undergraduate degrees in Studio Art and Creative Writing at Asbury University in Kentucky before following her lifelong dream of moving to NYC. While in the city, Gates achieved her MFA in painting at the New York Academy of Art. Since graduation, Gates has shown work with Six Summit Gallery, VillageOne Art, the High Line Nine Galleries, and Aplomb Gallery. In 2023, she held her first solo show in NYC at Neighbor in Chelsea. She recently relocated to Greenville, SC, where she paints and teaches classes at River Rock Art Studios.