Meet the Artist

A woman with long brown hair wearing a yellow dress stands in front of a display of colorful horse paintings at an art gallery. She is smiling. Horse girl art, equine fine art

Hi, I’m Caitlin, your local horse girl.

I’m an expressionist painter, who specializes in equine art. After growing up in Tampa, FL and Charlotte, NC, I moved to Nashville, TN in 2010.

I studied Digital Art and Professional Writing & Rhetoric at Elon University. Since graduating, I have experimented with various mediums, but primarily work in oil and acrylic paint. I enjoy creating with bright, playful colors that capture the imagination.

I create equine paintings based on my own experiences with them throughout my life. Each painting is based on a horse I’ve interacted with or photographed. Horses have been my refuge since I was a little girl. I often feel my emotions too intensely, expressing them in a jumbled mess. As a child, this was challenging for the adults around me but I realized the horses didn’t mind it at all. They gave me permission to be present with them and myself, allowing me borrow their courage, grit, compassion, and resilience until I was confident enough to claim those things as my own. Through equine art, I explore girlhood, honesty, resilience, and escapism with a subject matter that has always protected of my softness and encouraged my wild.

If I’m not in my studio, I’m probably at the barn with my own horse, Emma (pictured above), whose antics often inspire my work.

A young girl with red hair wearing a colorful dress and white sneakers, standing next to an abstract colorful painting on a pink background in a bakery or cafe.

Art as generational magic

Colorful abstract painting of a yellow bee on a flower, with vibrant background colors.

The first gallery I ever admired was my grandmother’s. Her sketches and paintings punctuated every single wall in her house. I wish I could’ve asked her about them, but she only spoke Finnish and, at four years old, I’d barely mastered English. Art, however, is not bound by nouns and verbs, and it talked to me every time I was there.

I watched in bewilderment, as I realized it was something she passed down. Both my father and his brother could draw whatever popped into their brains. As an elementary school student, I would run up to them with ballpoint pens and lined notebook paper, begging for commissions: “Can you draw me a rollerskating dog?” “Please draw me a bunny in a basket!” “Can you draw my cat on the school bus with me?”

And they could. My dad had a more abstract, cartoonish style, while my uncle’s hyper realism was remarkable. I thought they were doing magic. And the older I grew, the more I felt that creativity was a birthright for both myself and my sister (who is also wildly gifted). Natural talent is more or less a myth; natural curiosity is where the alchemy’s at, and that has been passed down in my family through generations. It’s part of our lore.

My grandmother couldn’t explain her work to me or talk me through her techniques. In fact, all I have left of her is a couple rough sketches, but her own self-expression helped me understand mine. You hear so much about generational curses that sometimes we forget about generational magic and how special it can be.

Sketch of boat anchored at loading dock by my grandmother, Aino Rantala

A smiling woman in a red floral dress and turquoise high heels poses in an art gallery, surrounded by colorful abstract paintings.
An art gallery displaying colorful paintings, with a woman sitting on a chair holding a phone, surrounded by abstract and ocean-themed artwork.
A woman dressed in a black dress with a white petticoat, black heels, and red lipstick is smiling and pointing at colorful paintings of animals and abstract art at an art gallery.
A woman with long red hair and a blue dress smiling in front of a colorful horse painting inside a decorated cafe with American flags and patriotic decor.
A woman with long hair wearing a mustard-colored dress, standing and smiling in front of a white wall with multiple colorful horse-themed paintings in an art gallery.
A woman with a ponytail, wearing a tan blazer, white top, gray pants, and beige heels, stands in an art gallery, looking at colorful paintings on the wall.
A woman with red hair and red lipstick standing in front of colorful abstract paintings at an art gallery.
A woman in a black dress with a white lace trim and black heels is standing inside an art gallery, holding a colorful painting featuring a room with a bed, a cat, and a window with curtains. Several other paintings are visible on the walls and leanin
A woman with long red hair and red lipstick standing next to a colorful painting of a cat on a tall green pillar, in an art gallery.
A woman with red lipstick, smiling, wearing a pink coat and a patterned top, standing in front of colorful abstract paintings of sea life and nature at an art gallery.
An art booth with abstract landscape paintings and a smiling woman in a yellow jacket standing behind it.
A woman in a pink zip-up shirt and colorful socks stands next to a brown horse with a pink feathered collar and leg wraps, holding a colorful painting of a horse.
A woman with long, wavy hair in a pink top and black skirt with chains, standing in front of colorful abstract paintings at an art gallery.
A woman in a bright pink dress and blue high heels standing in an art gallery, smiling, with colorful paintings on the wall behind her.
A woman holding a colorful abstract painting in an art gallery with various paintings on the wall behind her.
A woman in a yellow dress standing in front of colorful paintings of horses at an art gallery.
A woman in a long blue dress is looking at paintings of horses displayed on easels inside a store with wooden beams and string lights.
An art gallery with colorful paintings displayed on the wall. A woman with wavy hair, wearing a black leather jacket, grey pleated skirt, and high-heeled boots, stands near the paintings. Other people are visible in the background.
A woman in a red floral dress and turquoise high heels posing happily in an art gallery filled with colorful, abstract paintings.
A woman with long, wavy, light brown hair smiling at an art gallery. She is wearing a pink top with black trim and pearl buttons, and a black skirt with gold chains. Behind her are colorful paintings of horses and abstract scenery on a white gallery
A woman with long red hair, wearing a gray dress with a front tie, is smiling and browsing art at an indoor art gallery or craft fair. She is holding a beverage in her left hand and is near a display of colorful paintings, including a vibrant horse p
Woman in bright pink dress and blue heels looking at colorful animal-themed artwork in an art gallery.
A young woman with red lipstick and long hair smiling at an art gallery, standing in front of a colorful painting of an octopus with purple flowers on its tentacles.
A woman with long brown hair, wearing a light purple zip-up jacket and purple pants, stands indoors next to a brown horse adorned with a pink feathered garland. She holds a portrait painting of the horse. The setting appears to be a stable or barn wi