Currently residing in Nanaimo, B.C., Carla Stein, grew up in a family of creative individuals and was exposed to both viewing and making art at an early age. She was deeply influenced and nurtured by many hours spent playing and learning among the museums and public art displays of Chicago, Illinois.  After immigrating to Canada in 1975, Carla achieved a fine arts diploma from Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. Her career path has involved teaching art to children and adults as both recreation and therapy. She is also fascinated by the images words evoke, and finds her poetic endeavors often cross fertilize her visual conceptions.
Stein works primarily in a variety of two dimensional water-based media, including acrylics, watercolors, and inks. Her subjects are often focused on the common perception of the natural world as holding less value than the human-made environment. Stein incorporates the use of translucent glazes with impressionist sensibilities and surrealist imagery encouraging viewers to challenge their unquestioned conceptions of how we relate to our world.  An active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, she also holds membership and exhibits at the Waterfront Gallery in Ladysmith, and with The Cowichan Valley Arts Council.  Carla has been juried into numerous exhibitions and shows including Arts on the Avenue, Coast Collective and the Ladysmith Fine Arts Show as well as showing in galleries in Victoria and Vancouver.