Carole Kainlor was born in Chicago. She has a lifetime of experience viewing and appreciating art. As a child, her mother would often take her to the Art Institute of Chicago and galleries in the city. Carole moved to Maine in 1984. She continued to visit art museums in Rockland, Portland, and New York whenever possible. While rehabbing two houses, Carole developed basic carpentry skills. She has an old hinged wooden box with a framed lithograph on the lid, given to her by her mother, which inspired her to make “boxes.” After retiring in 2007, Carole began her initiative to create boxes out of wood. She had no idea what they would be like. She started with the simplest design of three layers of three long strips of wood encased in a frame. Her initial work was monotone. Eventually, she moved to color and her designs became more varied and complex. As she started to get more involved with the components of her work…a small block, triangle, or circle of wood, she started to appreciate their uniqueness. To her, the imperfections are perfection because each individual piece is different than the others. Carole has shown her work in southern Maine and received several commissions. She is a member of the Maine Craft Association, the New Hampshire Art Association, the Maine Art Collective, and has recently joined the Bridgton Art Guild.

Her work is on display at Gallery 302. Website: carolekainlor.com