CAROL WHITE

Artist Statement

Recent Work

Throughout my artistic career, I have explored the relationships between reality
and fantasy, color and form and human commonalities. In more recent work I have
begun to consider how universal messages or global symbols can be illustrated
by the human form as it is encased within an abstract environment. In some cases
this is accomplished by eliminating the easily recognizable features that identify
gender or race. In other works, the pieces attempt to simplify the form and gesture
to communicate a story or concept that can be understood by any viewer from any
part of the world – therefore, eliminating the need for language or explanation.

All of these explorations were born of an early interest in abstract art and form.
However, they have grown to become less focused on the surface and more about
relationships between the figures and the environment that surrounds them. Many
of the works are observations about the things I see around me, responses to
conversations I have had with people from other parts of the world and my
perceptions about the experiences we share as human beings.            

Early Work

When I was in college I had the luxury of working in several mediums and that
allowed me to really explore what happens when a piece of clay is formed or a
block of wood goes from a rough surface to smooth. Throughout the early part of
my career, I also experimented with 2-dimensional work. The simultaneous
exploration of multiple materials led to many of the techniques found in the work
today. Like most art students, I studied formal, realistic painting and drawing.
However, this never really interested me very much. Simply replicating something
in front of me was not as much of a challenge as interpreting the same object or
figure in my own way. Consequently, the work grew into studies about space, color,
form and, later narrative stories.

Artist Statement

Art by Carol White