Her Story
"I don’t know if I see in symbols or layers or cycles.
I just see what’s right in front of me—when the light hits the grass and the storm’s still passing.
A flower that wasn’t there yesterday.
I see the world when it’s still enough to speak.
And when I notice something that makes me soften and expand at the same time—
that’s when I know I have to paint.”
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Charlotte Marie Isbell’s paintings explore the nuanced interplay between emotion, memory, and the physical landscape of womanhood. Working in oil on canvas, her distinct visual language—layered, expressive, and intuitively composed—captures what is often overlooked: the quiet swell of emotion beneath stillness, the fleeting textures of memory, the embodied experience of being a woman in motion and rest.
There is tenderness here, but also wildness. Not a performance of femininity, but an intimate record of its many lives. Through gesture and palette, Isbell invites viewers into something deeply personal yet universally resonant—speaking to those who find beauty not only in clarity, but in ambiguity, where strength and softness live side by side.
Painting from her garden studio at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Charlotte draws deeply from nature—not only as subject, but as collaborator. Originally from Australia, her practice carries a cross-cultural sensitivity to place, shaped by years living between Australia, Europe, and the United States. Her background in classical and contemporary piano, a decade in Australia’s design industry, and mentorships with contemporary painters inform her sensory, emotionally attuned creative voice.
In Charlotte’s process, it’s colour that carries the initial weight—deeply holding the essence of each piece. Working loosely and expressively, she’s less concerned with literal representation and more with energy, movement, and emotional resonance. Each line, stroke, and shift in tone is a search for the feeling that first moved her. Layer by layer, her canvases become places where movement finds form. Her work does not demand attention—it invites presence. In movement, in contrast, in colour and stillness, her paintings offer a space to return to what is often felt but rarely spoken.
Charlotte's artwork has been exhibited in solo and group shows across the United States and is held in private and commercial collections internationally, with a handful in notable collections across Australia and the United States.
In 2025, two works from her Beautiful Mess collection were extended long-listed for the Jackson’s International Art Prize. In 2026, she will present a major solo exhibition in partnership with the Land Trust of North Alabama, supporting land conservation across the region.
EXHIBITIONS & SHOWS
2018: Les Femmes - In Her Space, Solo Show Colorado Springs, CO
2019 / 2020: Les Femmes - Un Jour, En France - Solo Exhibit Fort Collins CO
2020: Soft & Wild Abstracts - Solo Show Fort Collins CO
2021: Les Femmes The Comforts of Home - Solo Exhibit Madison AL / Sydney Australia
2022: Herself - Solo Show Madison AL
2023: Natural Presence - Solo Show Madison AL
2023: An Original Touch - Peachtree & Co Huntsville AL
2023: The Unfolding - Collaborative Collection Huntsville, AL
2024: The Other Side of Blue - 104 Jefferson, Huntsville, AL
2024: Beautiful Mess - Gilded Moth Lincoln Mill, Huntsville, AL
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
2025: Does a flower ever feel lost amongst the spring daisies?, Jackson International Art Award, Extended Long List
2025: Admits the magnolia and water lily I discovered something new, Jackson International Art Award, Extended Long List
IN THE MEDIA
256 Today - The Vessel At Stovehouse to Unfold New Fine Art - Nov 2023
News Break - The Unfolding: A Breathtaking Journey Through Artistry and Inspiration - Nov 2023
Tennessee Valley Living - The Vessel Celebrating One Year - Nov 2023
Say Hello
Connect with Charlotte about all things Art.