Carolyn McIntosh is an artist and owner of Wandering Fig Studio, based in the Perth Hills suburb of Greenmount, Western Australia. She was born in Chryston, Scotland, in 1968 and immigrated to Australia in 1971.
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In Carolyn's formative years, she resided in (what was then) the outer suburbs of Perth, surrounded by bushland full of wildlife, large open spaces and a nearby swamp as her playground.
Carolyn's work is deeply inspired by the natural world, with a particular focus on Western Australian native fauna, flora, and landscape.
Over several years, Carolyn volunteered at a wildlife hospital in Perth, where she had the unique opportunity to interact with local wildlife. Caring for and hand-feeding native birds, reptiles, and marsupials profoundly influenced her artistic expression.
Working across multiple art mediums, Carolyn is currently immersed in fibre and textile art. She creates sculptures and paintings predominantly from wool using needle felting and wet felting techniques. She also works with plant fibres, and upcycled fabric using stitching and weaving techniques.
Carolyn’s art education is both diverse and ongoing. It began with technical college, expanded through fine art studies at university, and continues today with local and online art workshops. In 2025, Carolyn began hosting her own workshops teaching needle felting.
Carolyn's studio’s name is inspired by the wandering fig vine (often called creeping fig) that covered the walls of her first home studio in Bassendean. The dried vine is perfect for weaving nests and baskets and remains a favourite material in her work.
In 2016, Carolyn and her family moved to Greenmount, where the nearby Railway Heritage Trail and Greenmount National Park provide daily inspiration. The surrounding landscape, along with the rich variety of native wildlife that visits her garden, continues to be a central source of creativity in her art.
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Exhibitions​
2025 Open Art Exhibition, Darlington Arts Festival, Darlington
2025 Incognito Art Show, The Garden Gallery, Sydney
2024 Ferguson Follies Sculpture Trail, Dardanup Art Spectacular (invited artist), Dardanup
2018 The Ebb and Flow of Linking Waterways Exhibition, Painted Tree Gallery, Northcliffe
2018 Mundaring Hills Open Studios
2018 Don't Jettison Everything, Member's Exhibition, Mundaring Arts Centre, Mundaring (selective)
2017 Hay Bale Sculpture Challenge, York Festival, York
2015 Birds of a Feather, Forest Heritage Centre, Dwellingnup
2015 Churchlands Senior High School Art Show, Churchlands
2015 Ellenbrook Art Awards, zThe Gallery, Ellenbrook
2015 Artists on the Walkpath, Riverside Gardens, Bayswater (selective)
2014 Community Art Exhibition, Churchlands Senior High School, Churchlands
2014 Reel It In, Native Animal Rescue marquee, educational display installation
2014 Open, Town of Bassendean, art stall and exhibition, Bassendean
2014 Artists on the Walkpath, Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary, Bayswater (selective)
2013 Connecting Communities Kalamunda, Zig Zag Gallery, Kalamunda
2013 St Brigid's College Biennial Art Exhibition and Sale, Lesmurdie
2013 Midland Artsource Open Studios, Midland
2013 Ellenbrook Community Tea Party Event, The Gallery, Ellenbrook
2013 Fingers and Petals The Handmade Flower Show,The Gallery, Ellenbrook
2013 esordio>debut>beginning The Zig Zag Gallery, Kalamunda
2012 Shoe-ing Off by Fibrant, Bassendean Memorial Library, Bassendean
2012 Bassendean Art Awards, Bassendean
2012 Mazenod College Art Show, Lesmurdie
2012 Canning Art Awards
2012 Town of Mosman Park Art Awards
2011 City of Stirling Art Awards
2011 Emerging Artist Awards, City of South Perth (selective)
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Awards
2017 Winner Hay Bale Sculpture Challenge, York Festival, York​
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