I just spent two weeks at the Baer Art Center, an artist's residency in Northern Iceland, and it was an awe-inspiring experience! Surrounded by breathtaking landscapes, I immersed myself in a world of raw beauty and creative inspiration. Every corner of this enchanting country sparked my imagination. 

Drawing inspiration from Iceland's unique culture and folklore, I embarked on a journey combining themes from my work and experimenting with new techniques and mediums. Chiefly, my new camera!

The long summer days – as in the sun never set - provided ample time for introspection and discovery. Immersing myself in Iceland's natural beauty and getting to know my four fellow artists and their work made this residency a transformative experience that will continue to shape my artistic journey for years to come. 

And playing hide and seek with a family of seals for nearly an hour was beyond words! 

Finalist Indie Book Award Best Art Book 2023!

Kirkus Reviews had some terrific things to say about our book, The Villagers!

“A writer conjures tales in response to an artist’s surreal images in this collaboration by Golden and Owens.”

"Golden’s images are arresting: The textures suggest analog sensibilities of an earlier era, and while there’s rarely a traditional face to be found, there’s always the suggestion of a thoroughly human countenance. They’re complemented by Owens’ dark, dreamy fairy tales...A brilliantly imagined and transportive collection of surreal bedtime stories."

So our book got an award—we’re one of Shelf Unbound’s “Notable Books” from their 2022 Best Indie Book Awards! Shiny gold badge & everything!

With much thanks to Amanda McLeod at Animal Heart Press for all her support & work on this project!

"As a child she had miraculous hair, of a thickness and lustre remarkable to behold.

As she grew older, imagine their surprise when her seven captors discovered that, whenever the lass dreamt in the bluest depths of night, her hair would grow at an accelerated rate, nearly visibly so."

He's done it again! Derek Owens has peeled back the layers of one more collage of mine and written another captivating tale, THE TOWER.

Art & Words: Caroline Golden and Derek Owens

Read our collaborative effort in: the Courier

The Sensitive-

In those early days of Lily Dale, long before it was even known as Lily Dale or, before that, City of Light, our freethinking earthly compatriots were fond of organizing the most charming displays of communicative prowess.

“These two sets of poems and collages are excerpted from THE VILLAGERS, a collaborative work of fable-making, by artist Caroline Golden and author Derek Owens. This joint project, when completed, will result in a uniquely designed artists’ book of 37 collages each with an accompanying original piece of short fiction or poetry inspired by the work.

Entranced by these collages, which are by turns comical, romantic, and eerie, Derek Owens meditated on each image until the character revealed his or her narrative. It turns out Golden’s fantastical characters had much to say. Within this collection, we hear the voices of dressmakers and diplomats, sensitives and valets, and prankster automatons–a chorus of fanciful new archetypes.”

The Mischief Maker -

Children shall I tell you the story of Maggie and the tiniest banshee? Well gather round and don’t interrupt. A very long time ago, long, long before our kind had…