Carol Hagan is a self-taught artist who has worked hard to develop her own style. Her paintings are a contemporary expression of her love for the West, its stunning natural beauty, and the animals that inhabit it.

She participates in several prestigious museum shows annually, including the Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, the C.M. Russell Art Auction, and the Desert Caballeros Museums' "Cowgirl Up!" Show.

Carol was born in 1962 in Central City, Nebraska but at the age of 7 she and her family moved to Montana where she still lives. Residing in this terrain has afforded her the opportunity to nurture her deep love of the animals and the terrain she portrays in her art. Painting and drawing did not play an important role in Carol's life until she was 25 years old after her son was born. At that time, she was searching for an occupation that would afford her the opportunity to stay at home and raise her son.

She is self-taught and states that her paintings "...come from my heart" which is very evident when one views her art. She works with vibrant colors, layering them with complex techniques. She utilizes her own personal photographs for reference material which she states is imperative as far as taking her own photographs - enabling her to "catch" a certain spark which she then can transcend to the canvas. Carol says, "If the eyes don't work, the painting is not going to work." This is what makes Carol's paintings stand out - that unique ability to capture the soul of the wildlife she paints.

She has become well known to collectors of art, novice and experienced alike, and has become quite successful. She participates in many shows, including the prestigious C.M. Russell Auction, the Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale, the Desert Caballeros Western Museum's annual show and sale "Cowgirl Up", among others.