Carolynn Haydu
Carolynn Haydu was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and received her BFA in studio art from UC Berkeley and her Masters in Art from NYU.
“My studio and gallery, along with an artist community having roots that reach back over thirty years, are all being dismantled as part of an unrelenting wave of gentrification. The real estate firm are evicting all artists and makers to make way for corporate development.
When news of this dreaded sale went public, I began a series of mixed media paintings. “The Great Here After” showcases works which I dismantled and then collaged on wood panel. My creative process is guided by this rhythm of breaking and reforming. I create paintings on paper, then take them apart. What most intrigues me is the resurrection of a painting: works formed by layering, something new rising where something old was destroyed. The end result mimics grounding patterns in nature such as granite and wood grain that reflect the stability of passing time. “
Carolynn has most recently shown her work at the de Young Museum in San Francisco and the Institute for Contemporary Art San Jose. She works out of her studio in West Oakland. In 2021 she started a gallery for emerging artists called Metal Haus.