Carolyn Hyde is a Canadian contemporary artist whose work centers on abstract prairie landscape painting. She was born and raised in Saskatchewan, where wide-open skies and endless horizons quietly shaped her creative outlook. As a kid she loved art, sports, and—like any self-respecting child of the 70s—her Farrah Fawcett hairdo.

She studied Visual Communications at Medicine Hat College, but left just one semester before finishing, thanks to a mix of curiosity, restlessness, and yes, partly a boy. In 1991, she moved to Calgary, Alberta, and has called it home ever since.

Carolyn has spent more than 35 years working as a graphic designer, building a career around creativity, problem-solving, and an enduring respect for good design. Along the way she took a five-year academic detour to study Development Studies and Environmental Science at the University of Calgary.

In 2010, she found her way back to painting and never looked back. What began as a “me-time” away from a newborn,  grew into a dedicated studio practice. Her contemporary abstract landscapes are rooted in prairie memories, reimagined through colour, shape, texture, and atmosphere.

Carolyn lives in Calgary with her husband, two teenage daughters, and a dog who believes every problem can be solved by either a belly rub or a snack. When she isn’t painting, she can be found heading east on Highway 1 toward Saskatchewan, wandering the mountains, planning her next adventure, or perfecting the art of the afternoon nap.

Artist Statement

Growing up in Saskatchewan shaped the way I see the world—big skies, open horizons, and the quiet beauty found in everyday landscapes. Those early impressions continue to influence everything I create.

My abstract paintings are not literal depictions of place, but my personal responses to it. Working intuitively with acrylic paint - often adding oils, collage, pencil, inks and charcoal - I build layered surfaces of colour and texture, then expose bits of those layers by scraping, sanding or blotting. 

I’m drawn to the idea that a place can live in you long after you’ve left it. My abstract landscapes explore that space between memory and imagination, inviting viewers to bring their own experiences into the work