Meet the Artist
Cara Grace Chadwick
From the Saddle to the Studio
The story, experiences, and lifelong connection that shape Cara Grace Fine Art.
The Artist
Cara Grace is a Southern California fine artist whose work is deeply rooted in a lifelong connection to horses, the natural world, and the places that have shaped her.
Raised in Southern Vermont, Cara grew up riding and developing an intimate understanding of horses—their movement, character, strength, and quiet sensitivity. Her years as a professional rider and trainer, including time spent working with horses in Germany and in equestrian communities across the United States, continue to inform the way she observes and paints her subjects.
Her artistic foundation began early as well. Cara was influenced by her grandfather, Lee Adams, a botanical artist, and grew up surrounded by an appreciation for careful observation and the beauty of the natural world. She later studied art history and fine art, developing a deep appreciation for the traditions of representational painting and artists who captured the character and movement of their subjects with extraordinary sensitivity.
Today, Cara brings these experiences together in her studio practice. Her paintings explore horses, animals, landscapes, and the natural world through a balance of observation, atmosphere, movement, and emotion.
For Cara, painting is about more than creating a likeness. It is about capturing the feeling of a particular moment—the spirit of an animal, the atmosphere of a landscape, or the memory attached to a place—and translating that feeling into something lasting.
Based in Southern California, Cara works with private collectors, equestrian families, interior designers, and clients throughout the country, and internationally, to create original works of art and bespoke commissions.
A Life With Horses
Horses have been a constant thread throughout Cara's life and remain at the heart of her artistic practice.
Her experience as a rider and trainer gives her an understanding of horses that goes beyond anatomy or appearance. She understands the subtle language of posture, expression, movement, and personality that makes each horse unmistakably itself.
This connection allows her to approach equestrian portraiture not simply as a study of an animal, but as a portrait of a relationship.
Artistic Lineage
Cara's appreciation for art began within her own family. Her grandfather Lee Adams, was a botanical artist, and studying his work of the natural world helped shape her early understanding of observation and craftsmanship.
Her artistic education including a Fine Art Foundation Study Degree, from Cumbria Institute of The Arts, Carlisle UK, and lifelong study of art history have continued to influence her work, particularly the traditions of representational painting and the artists who sought to capture both the physical presence and individual character of their subjects.
The Work
Cara's paintings are created with the intention of becoming lasting pieces of a collector's life and home.
Whether depicting a beloved horse, a familiar landscape, or a quiet moment in nature, each work begins with close observation and develops through a process of layering, refinement, and attention to atmosphere and character.
Her original paintings and commissions are created for collectors who are looking for something personal, distinctive, and enduring—art that carries meaning beyond the moment it was created.
The Studio
Based in Southern California, Cara creates her work in her studio, at home with her sweet husband and two cats, while continuing to draw inspiration from the landscapes, animals, and equestrian communities around her. She loves her time in the saddle as well, she is a sought after freelance equestrian rider, with a specialization in flat work, her regular clients include some of the biggest names in show jumping in Southern California.
She welcomes commissions from collectors and families seeking a meaningful portrait or custom work, as well as collaborations with designers and other professionals looking for original artwork for thoughtfully designed spaces.