Debbie Carroll

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My work is about expressing the feelings I have when surveying the land of this region I call home. The challenge is to draw out the intrinsic beauty of the ordinary and overlooked. In my paintings, I strive to elevate my subjects, not to show the obvious, but to reveal the extraordinariness of the familiar.

The paintings flow from my curiosity to explore, push boundaries, and to show and share a different way of seeing the world around us. My home and inspiration is the land of the southwestern United States. Travel is the backbone of my work; it throws me into new circumstances and surroundings. As artists, we are keen observers, a bond we share with scientists. 

A turning point in my work came while working with Taos painter and potter Stephen Kilborn. It wasn’t that I wanted to learn to paint just like him. Instead, he gave me permission to explore a different way of expressing myself. I admire artists who paint realism but that’s not where my voice sings. Graphic in style, I lean on my early love of drawing and design. I prefer using flat plains of color in unexpected, lyrical ways. Rhythm throughout my paintings is very intentional. Color comes in then as harmony. 

Living my authentic self as an artist requires a level of honesty and curiosity. Through hard work and persistence, I continue to grow, and sustain myself and my practice. Family and friends across the country help me to find balance.