Red Hot Chili Peppers
10h x 10w
Oil on Panel
Zesty, sweet and altogether original. Brighten up your kitchen with a little spice! This spirited and passion artist never stops amazing us with her unlimited talent and style. You will never regret finding a home for a Zimmermann work of art in your home.
About the 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 Zimmermann in Bali
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
- Read: Caroline Zimmermann's Artist's Blog about her exotic surf trips "A String of Pearls in the Arabian Sea".
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".
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.
- Read: Caroline Zimmermann's blog post "No Bad Waves" about surfing with her brother-in-law, surf legend Micky Muñoz.
"La Vita e Bella"
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.