Ever since her early childhood in Massachusetts, Carol Santora has had two great passions – animals and art. In her youth, she had drawing kits and copied pictures from magazines in addition to sketching things her house and particularly enjoyed drawing animals. As she grew older, Santora let her artistic endeavors fall to the wayside as she studied to become a nurse. However, the inner urge to create would not fade and she left nursing to study painting, art history, and sculpture at Framingham State College. After graduating summa cum laude, she taught drawing and painting, as well as creating her own masterpieces.

While Santora is skilled at painting landscapes, still lifes, and human portraiture, among other subjects, she always felt drawn to painting animals. “I will never get to see and know enough animals, take enough pictures, paint enough of their faces, experience enough of their beauty,” she explains. “Creating art makes me feel alive and allows me to be part of something bigger than myself. It is a connection with the Divine.” Often painting animated and expressive animal portraits, she imbues wild and domestic animals with an almost human sensibility, bringing them to life and reaching out to the viewer. Santora is able to achieve this quality through extensively watching animals and even traveling to farms and wildlife areas across the United States to study them.

Santora's oil, watercolor, and soft pastel artwork has earned her numerous honors and awards, including some from National Wildlife Federation art shows, juried exhibitions, and other shows. Her work has been exhibited in Europe and all across the United States from New York City to California and can be found in many private, public, and corporate collections.