Bio:
Carrie, a visual artist living in Hoquiam, Washington, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Whitman College. There she was first introduced to Book Arts, which became the springboard for all permutations of her art-making. Carrie’s work has been exhibited in solo shows locally and juried shows nationally and is held in Washington’s Art in Public Places Program, installed at The Evergreen State College. Her artist’s books are included in various university library collections, as well as the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.
At home she scoots outdoors as often as possible, wears out her library card, and enjoys the company of her husband John and a couple of cats, who like to investigate works in progress.
Artist Statement:
A foundation in the making of artist books informs my mixed media pieces, from consideration of concept to an infatuation with papers and, often, the use of thread or cord to “bind” disparate bits together. I am drawn to processes and materials that invite touch, celebrating tactile qualities that encourage us to connect with one another. My focus remains on the idea of shaping a cohesive whole from various fragments—a process that can feel like an act of healing or an attempt toward unity.
My work generally explores a sense of place, edited down to essences and sensations to evoke a poetry of sorts. In Framing the Loss it is an emotional place being examined and recorded, one that reflects the aching grief and turmoil of the past 16 months, which a 3’ by 4’ frame cannot possibly contain. The lost lives, the deep disparities, the poisoned planet, the entrenched divisions…How do we even begin to mourn or to make whole?
The art of Keiko Hara, my teacher and mentor at Whitman College, has had a profound impact on my work. Helen Frankenthaler’s Color Field pieces and Joseph Cornell’s assemblages have been influential as well.