Oxfordshire Artweeks is delighted to announce that Oxfordshire artist Caroline Meynell of Great Milton is the winner of the 2012 Mary Moser prize, an award established in 2003 to mark the work of a local artist who has taken up art as a second career later in life.

Caroline trained as a jeweller in her 20s, and practised for 30 years,but it wasn’t until an accident caused her to lose the sight in one of her eyes that she had to give up jewellery and began to paint. She largely eschews greens to depict landscapes in blues and earthy pigments. Despite the energy used to create each piece - and she paints until she’s exhausted, continually dancing around a canvas laid flat - Caroline’s landscapes are reflective, with soft colours gently infused with light, full of a stillness and peace that draw people in and create a sense of space in busy lives.

Esther Browning, Executive Director for Artweeks, says “Caroline paints the most wonderfully contemplative pictures that instantly transport you from the pace of everyday into the peace and stillness of the natural world at its most tranquil. We’re delighted to be recognising the quality of her pictures with this award.”

You can see examples of her work at http://www.carolinemeynell.co.uk/ and she will be exhibiting this May in both Summertown and at the O3 Gallery in Oxford Castle Quarter.