Oil painter Carol Roark shares a beautifully classic portfolio of landscapes that captures the spirit of the South. Visit her website to see more of her work.
I have been intrigued with drawing since childhood, but I believe it was years of exploring nature and walks through the woods with my father that turned me into the artist I am today.
I love all of the beauty present in our natural environment. It remains a constant source of inspiration throughout my work.
My landscapes mainly depict the outdoor scenes in Mississippi—a landscape that most people overlook. My studio sits high atop the bluff of the Mississippi Delta, which is a vast alluvial plane created by the Mississippi River thousands of years ago.
I can see wide, western skies with the open farmland that is ever changing with the seasons. It is from here that my painting ideas emerge.
I spend many hours in the field painting plein air. However, I do not go out with the objective of completing a painting, although it happens from time to time. The main goal of these trips is to develop references from reality, which I then use as a tool in my studio. This is a must for me as a landscape painter!
Although you will see me work in gouache and pastels, my medium of choice is oils, even when sketching color thumbnails in my sketchbook. There is a richness to the color and texture of oils that I do not find as easily achievable with other mediums.
I love teaching almost as much as I love painting. I want to share the joy painting brings me with as many people as possible. It is my feeling that we all have a “gift of creating” inside of us. It makes me happy when I can help others discover that!
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