Caroline Pedler is a Cornish illustrator, artist and educator. She predominantly works as a co-edition iIllustrator, having completed over sixty children's picturebooks over the past 23 years. Her books have been translated into 27 different languages and sold all over the world. She continues to collaborate with a variety of international clients, such as AzkoNobel for Dulux, and Net Positive Health and Climate Solutions. and has recently exhibited in Cornish, Italian and Taiwanese galleries.
Pedler's paintings were made in response to two decades of working to commercial briefs, oftentimes heavily directed by editors, publishers and clients. She aptly names these creations 'Antidote.' The 'Antidote' series first exhibited in various Cornish galleries before making their way to Prince & Pilgrim.
Reflecting on her 'Antidote' works, Pedler says:
"This series of mixed media works was created in one week in Studio no.5 Porthmeor studios, St Ives, Cornwall. Called 'Antidote,' these works marked a turning point in my career as an artist, side stepping away from client driven work and back into an autonomous space and a love of paint, composition, shape and texture. Losing myself to the dance of the eye, heart and hand, mark making, balancing translucent and opaque layers of paint, getting lost in visual weight and big feelings. Reflecting and responding to inner frustrations, conversations and insights of childhood myths and a life growing up in the landscape of Cornwall. This series became a space of resonance and freedom, and an antidote to the commercial constraints of my life as a commercial illustrator. This approach to creating work has since become the back bone of my career going forwards, creating both personal and professional work with more personal resonance, meaning and continuity."