"I am a snorkaholic," admits Carolyn Steele. "The very first time I put on a mask and experienced the magical underwater world of the reefs, I was hooked forever. It was the experience of snorkeling that really opened my eyes to the diversity of nature as a whole."

Carolyn is constantly inspired by the astonishing color, complexity, and beauty of the wildlife she has observed in over a decade of travel throughout the Caribbean. Her richly-textured images are composed of things a nature lover might see on a morning walk or an afternoon snorkel.

Creating beautiful images of exotic flora and fauna is a natural offshoot of Carolyn's interests, talents and influences. Carolyn spent most of her formative years in England. Always an ardent nature-lover, as a young girl she attended private art classes in the English countryside where she created detailed wildlifestudies in various media. Her father, also an artist, inspired and encouraged her from the start. She started her paintings of the Caribbean in 1992 as a way to extend the afterglow of her yearly visits to the West Indies.

Carolyn is committed to nature education and conservation. That is why she donates a portion of her profits to wildlife and reef conservation projects. She hopes that her artwork will not only decorate, but also promote an appreciation of the amazing variety and fragility of the Caribbean biosystem. All of the species represented in her paintings are indigenous to the West Indies, many of themendangered.

Carolyn currently lives in Virginia with her husband and their cats.