In her youth, as a photographer's apprentice, Carole Jean Boyd learned how to retouch negatives and paint photographs. Over time she became widely respected in her field, winning national photography awards. The years of retouching and painting faces shaped her style of carving that blends realism, caricature, and a little primitive. Carole Jean has won Best of Show awards at the Blue Earth Show in Minnesota and at the War Eagle Fall Fair in Arkansas. In addition to the numerous first-place awards she has received at woodcarving competitions, she also teaches woodcarving in her Old South Wood Carving Studio in Montgomery, Alabama and at woodcarving clubs throughout the United States.