ABout Cara

Cara is Austine’s daughter and at first Austine’s art assistant and then ultimately her close artistic collaborator for over 35 years. Cara had begun taking the reins at the studio over the past few years. Cara is an accomplished fine artist in her own right. Her paintings have shown in prestigious New York City galleries and her murals adorn museums, libraries and schools including the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT and the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, FL. Cara now leads the crew at Austine Studios into the future, creating new individual Polage artworks and public art projects along with Austine’s husband and longtime collaborator David Comarow and Austine’s other daughter, writer and artist Erika Wood.

EDUCATION
1980-1985 Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
1985-1986 University of Nevada, Las Vegas

EXPERIENCE
1985-Present AUSTINE STUDIOS, Las Vegas, NV - Artist/Studio Director
2011-2018 Masque & Mime Drama Society, R.C. Ketchum High School, Wappingers Falls, NY - Set Designer and Props advisor
1996 Jeff Koons Productions, New York, NY - Painting assistant to Jeff Koons
1990-1995 Terry Dintenfass Gallery, New York, NY. -Gallery Assistant

EXHIBITIONS
2022 AMP Utility Cabinet Painting Public Art Project, City of Las Vegas, NV
2017 Grinnell Library, Wappingers Falls, NY - Children’s room wall murals
2010 OK Harris Works of Art, New York, NY - Show of small works on wood
2010 Van Brunt Gallery, Beacon, NY “Winter Group Show”
2009 Myers Corners Elem. School, Wappingers Falls, NY - painted 25’x8’ lobby mural
2009 Sheafe Road Elem. School, Wappingers Falls, NY - 48’x10’ climbing wall mural
2009 Lora Schlesinger Gallery, Santa Monica, CA - “Toy Show II” Group show.
2009 Fresno Metropolitan Museum, Fresno, CA - “I Want Candy” Group show.
2008 DohrMor Art Space, Wappingers Falls, NY - “Holiday” Group show.
2008 Hudson Beach Glass, Beacon, NY - Solo Show in 2nd floor gallery
2007 Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY - “I Want Candy” group show
2006 OK Harris Works of Art, New York, NY - small paintings on wood
2006 Millbrook Vineyard & Winery, NY - Two person show with Tilly Strauss
2004 OK Harris Works of Art, New York, NY - small paintings on wood
2001 OK Harris Works of Art, New York, NY - small paintings on wood
1999 OK Harris Works of Art, New York, NY - small paintings on wood
1996-2001 Represented by Ryan Gallery, Las Vegas, NV
1996 Thomas College, Thomasville, GA - Painting commission for the student art center
1995 Museum of Science and Industry, Tampa, FL - painted 10’dia.planet Earth
1995 Bruce Museum of Natural History, Greenwich, CT - Assisted on the painting of Discovery Room Murals, approx. 30’x10’ area, oversized mushrooms and flowers and insects painted directly on the walls with acrylics. Also Woodlands Diorama backdrop, approximately 56’ x 18’
1993 Barrick Natural History Museum, Las Vegas, NV - Two person show with Robert Beckmann, works on canvas and wood.
1991 NASA, Commissioned to do miniature portraits on wood of the Hubble Independent Optical Review Panel (HIORP) 6 members. (Panel was charged with the determination of the prescription for repair of Hubble Space Telescope).
1989 First Street Gallery, New York, NY. Group show, Juror: Jack Beal