Artist Interviews 2025

Caroline Wendelin  
By Julia Siedenburg



Artist Caroline Wendelin paints with a tenderness that feels like sunlight on canvas. Her soulful, and timeless portraits of women capture femininity and inner strength through soft light, gold accents, and incredibly detailed forms. Deeply inspired by the world around her—and by the joy of creating alongside her children—Caroline’s work radiates warmth, and authenticity. Each piece feels like time is slowing down. It invites us to pause, breathe, and feel.

It was a true pleasure getting to know Caroline and getting a glimpse of her work and life. I am in awe of her talent and I could stare at her paintings all day long. She can capture beauty like no other and I hope you feel as connected to her work as I do.



Why do you think art is so important in our daily lives?


Because it reminds us there’s more to life than routines and deadlines. Art makes us stop and feel something, even if it’s just for a second. It connects us to beauty, emotion, and to each other. For me, art is like a caress to the soul. It softens the edges of daily life and makes everything feel a little more human.



How does creating art make you feel? Is it a meditative or emotional experience for you, or do you see it more as a creative outlet?


It’s both, but mostly it’s a need. I’ve always been someone who prefers the quiet, even as a child. I liked being by myself, but I also longed to connect with others in some way. Art became that bridge. Through painting, music, or writing, I can share what’s inside me with the world. It’s emotional, meditative, and also how I make sense of life.



Which artist is your biggest inspiration?


Monet and Sorolla have always been huge inspirations, their light and atmosphere are just timeless. But I’m also very inspired by contemporary artists I find on Instagram, and lately by sculptors, like Messeg for example. I love discovering other artists’ work online; it keeps me motivated and reminds me how many ways there are to see and interpret beauty.




Your pieces are true works of art. Beautifully crafted female portraits that look like frozen moments in time. Could you give us a glimpse into your process? How long does it take from the first idea to the finished project? What are the steps you have to take?


It usually starts with a mental image, often inspired by the story of someone. I’ll do a quick sketch and mix reference photos to find the right pose of the model, I will usually throw in flowers and gold details, and I often enjoy the contrast of the organic shapes and some geometrical shapes, like a rectangle or circle in the background. Then I start painting and see where it takes me. Some pieces come together easily, others take weeks because I keep changing things until they feel right. A lot of pieces end up discarded for months. I spend a lot of time just looking, stepping back, and letting the painting “speak” to me before I call it finished, and if I’m not sure it’s finished I will film it, share it online with my followers and also send it to my family to get some feedback before I decide it’s finished.



When I look at your work, I feel warmth, happiness, and empowerment. What would you say is your message behind your work? What do you want people to experience?


That’s really nice to hear! That’s exactly what I hope for. I want people to feel connected to what they see. That’s why I often hide the eyes of the women I paint, I don’t want the viewer to think of a specific person, but rather feel like it could be anyone. My goal is to create something that feels both personal and universal, something people can emotionally relate to without needing to know the story behind it.



Every single one of your pieces is incredibly beautiful. Anyone can tell that they were crafted with love and dedication. Please share the story behind “Where the Trees Bloomed” with us.


For the past few years, I’ve been painting women against abstract backgrounds, but I felt this sudden call to paint landscapes for a change. “Where the Trees Bloomed” came from that: I wanted to paint a scene that felt alive, with several people in it, a bit like Sorolla’s beach scenes full of movement and light. It was refreshing to step away from my usual style for a moment. But after that piece, I naturally found myself going back to my abstract backgrounds, that’s really where I feel most at home artistically.



Tell us about your background and upbringing. Where did you grow up? Where are you now? When and how did you find your way to the artist life?

I’m Finnish-Swedish and German, but I grew up in Marbella, in the south of Spain. Later, I lived in different places: Sydney, Milan, New York, Barcelona, Madrid, and even the small village in Finland where my mother was born. I got to see the world, and somehow ended up back in Marbella, finally feeling at home here. Both of my parents were artists when I was a child, but I saw them give up on art and find more stable jobs, so I didn’t think it was something I could do myself. I’ve always painted, but for a long time it felt like just a dream, not a possible career. I kept making art as a hobby while I studied a degree in teaching and then tried several different jobs, until the pandemic started in 2020 and I decided to pursue art full time.




Would you say living and growing up in such a vibrant and warm place as Spain had a big impact on your work and style?


Definitely. The light here changes everything, it affects how you see color, and even how you feel. Spain has this mix of warmth, chaos, and beauty that always stays with you. I think that’s why my paintings often have a calm and softness to them, but also a quiet intensity underneath.



I saw videos of you and your children painting together. Are they a big inspiration and influence when it comes to your imagery? Did becoming a mother change your work at all?


Completely. Before having children, I painted more as a hobby while working other jobs, mostly as a teacher. Then the pandemic happened, and I became a mother at the same time… everything changed. I decided to focus fully on art. Until then, I had mostly painted celebrities like Marilyn Monroe because I knew they would sell easily, but I started seeing that kind of pop art everywhere and realized I wanted to do something different. When my daughter was born, I kept thinking about how I want her to grow up being true to herself, and that made me realize I had to do the same. So I started painting what I actually love: women with no specific name, who could be anyone. And yes, today, watching my kids paint so freely is very inspiring, they remind me to keep that sense of freedom.



What are your plans for the future? Any shows coming up?


I’m trying to stay consistent with my style and refine it more and more, really define what feels true to me. I’m also focusing on releasing new prints soon, so more people can bring my work into their homes. One of my biggest challenges right now is trying to take it slow, because I want to keep creating with intention, but the pressure of modern life, of social media… well, it often makes me feel like I have to “keep up with the pace of things”. And I believe art needs time, as well as I need to be kind and patient with myself. This year I’m still focusing on defining my style and creating more pieces, while also raising my 3 small children and building our home, so I plan to do some shows after summer 2026.