Valley Artisans’ Market is thrilled to present a captivating new solo exhibition by local artist Carolyn Kibbe, running from September 25 through October 18, 2026. Specializing in painterly realism, Carolyn’s upcoming showcase focuses primarily on portraiture, capturing the fleeting, spontaneous gestures that reveal the essence of her subjects.

The community is warmly invited to celebrate the exhibition at an opening reception on Saturday, September 26, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The reception will be held at the Valley Artisans’ Market, located at 25 East Main St., Cambridge, NY. This event is free and open to the public, offering attendees an opportunity to view the collection and meet the artist.

After spending much of her life living and working across New England, Carolyn—a Fly Creek, NY native—returned to the region upon her retirement. With a diverse background spanning degrees in English Literature/History (UC Berkeley), Education (RIC), and Deaf Education/ASL (BU), her professional career was split between teaching and journalism, where she worked as a reporter, editor, and editorial cartoonist. Today, she dedicates her time fully to her lifelong passion for oil painting.

“Now there’s time to paint! This show is mainly portraits because people are the most fun to paint,” says Carolyn. “I’ve loved oil paints ever since I was a kid–the rich colors, the smell of turpentine, the infinite flexibility of the medium. For convenience, I work mostly from my own photographs; live sitters are a rarity, plus fleeting expressions are easier to hold onto in a photo.”

Carolyn’s work prioritizes composition, vibrant color, and strong draftsmanship, purposefully leaning away from rigid photorealism to keep the brushwork lively and fresh. “I sketch in paint directly on the canvas, and my style is what is called painterly realism,” she explains. “A painting should be fresh and beautiful for its brushwork, interesting both close up and from a distance. We’ve all seen pictures that give us ‘The Feeling,’ and that’s my goal, to catch life on the canvas.”

An active member of both the Valley Artisans and the Beekman Street Artists, Carolyn frequently shows her work regionally. Her art has been exhibited at LARAC, the Long Island Art Association, the Cooperstown National, the prestigious Salmagundi Club, and in private collections as far as Ireland.