Caroline Bowder-Ridger

Bio

Caroline is a London-based artist whose work explores the layered relationship between urban environments and human presence.

After earning her BA (Hons) in Fine Art from Canterbury College of Art (now UCA) in 1991, she relocated to Peckham, where she has spent the last 25 years immersed in one of the capital’s most creative, ever-evolving communities.

Her paintings respond instinctively to the city’s surfaces - its weathered textures, overlooked patterns, and the quiet traces people leave behind. Through a process of layering, reworking, and mark-making, Caroline captures the rhythm of urban decay and renewal. Each piece becomes a visual archive - recording time, memory, and the complex beauty of life in flux.

Statement

My studio overlooks Brixton High Street, and the sounds, chaos and energy of this unique place constantly invade my studio, feeding continually into my work. Shapes and patterns are part of the visual tapestry of urban life – sometimes bold and strong, other times faint and partly eroded.

My work is drawn to the traces left behind by human activity – the subtle imprints, scars, and textures that accumulate over time in urban environments. These marks speak to memory, transience, and the ever-shifting story of place.

I often focus on a single shape, layering it numerous times, then slowly editing it until I'm happy with the mosaic patchwork and texture that reflects the surrounding landscape. On other occasions, I try to capture a stillness within the painting by giving the shapes more space to expand and rest – allowing the viewer time to reflect and see the beauty in the imperfections and flaws.

The surface of the paintings are created by applying layers of oil paint with brushes, palette knives and mono printing that can be scratched into or rubbed back with sandpaper, revealing a forgotten history within the canvas.

My process reflects the city itself – constantly being shaped, erased, and rebuilt. Each painting becomes a quiet record of transformation, echoing the complexity of urban life and the beauty found in its continual decay and renewal.

Artworks by Caroline Bowder-Ridger

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