Carol Haigh was born in England and has lived on Salt Spring Island since 1955 when her parents immigrated to Canada. Growing up among the Gulf Islands of British Columbia Carol naturally acquired an affinity with the sea. Her family owned a succession of small boats that they would fish from or use to explore the islands around their home. Eventually her father built a forty-foot trimaran in which the family sailed across the Pacific to the South Sea Islands, New Zealand and Australia. The voyage was formative for Carol. It opened her eyes to the vastness and beauty of the ocean. The allure of the sea, the quality of light on water and the feeling of expansiveness of open horizons and big skies has never left her. The sea has continued to be a source of inspiration for many of her paintings. Sailing also has remained a constant in her life. She often sails her classic boat “Korari” around the local waters in the summer months. “Korari” has been featured in many of her paintings over the past thirty years.

Being self taught, Carol has developed her own particular method of using acrylic paints in thin washes to build up intensity of colour. Her approach and technique to painting water is masterful. Carol is captivated by the way the sun catches the movement of water. The colours in a breaking sea or the translucence of the ocean delight her. Studio time for Carol is a time of richness of being. It is meditative, challenging and profoundly rewarding. Woven in with the act of painting is a deep regard for her subject matter and gratitude for the opportunity to communicate her vision of what is beautiful and fragile in our natural world.

Solo exhibitions:

Steffich Fine Art, Saltspring Island B.C. – the ocean series – 2007
Thunderbird Gallery – Saltspring Island B.C. – 2005
Naikai Gallery – Saltspring Island B.C. – 2001
Winchester Galleries – Victoria B.C. – 1999
Naikai Gallery – Saltspring Island B.C. – 1998
Naikai Gallery – Saltspring Island B.C. – 1997
Naikai Gallery – Saltspring Island B.C. – 1996
Naikai Gallery – Saltspring Island B.C. – 1995
Naikai Gallery – Saltspring Island B.C. – 1994
Orcas Gallery – Saltspring Island B.C – 1992

Group Exhibitions:

Ian Tan Gallery, Vancouver B.C.- winter group show 2025
Steffich Fine Art Gallery Saltspring Island – showing of new works and opening of new gallery. May 15th, 2024
Ian Tan Gallery, Vancouver B.C. – Summer Group Show – 2018
Ian Tan Gallery, Vancouver B.C. – Winter Group Show – 2018
Ian Tan Gallery, Vancouver B.C. – Summer Group Show – 2017
Ian Tan Gallery, Vancouver B.C. – Winter Group Show – 2017
Ian Tan Gallery, Vancouver B.C. – Summer Group Show – 2016
Ian Tan Gallery, Vancouver B.C. – Winter Group Show – 2016
Ian Tan Gallery, Vancouver B.C. – Summer Group Show – 2015
Ian Tan Gallery, Vancouver B.C. – Winter Group Show – 2015
Steffich Fine Art, Saltspring Island B.C. – Small works – 2007
Peninsula Gallery, Sidney B.C. – On the Edge – 2003
Vortex Gallery, Saltspring Island B.C. – 10 Saltspring Island Realists – 2002
Fran Willis Gallery, Victoria B.C. – 1998