ARTIST BIO

Carri’s first memory is at 3 years old watching Sleeping Beauty on
the big screen with her parents. Before she started school, her art
education began. All the women in her family- grandmothers, aunts,
great aunts, sisters and cousins are what her husband fondly calls
“crafty women”. They all have their artistic outlets ranging from quilting,
cross-stitch, doily making, and wooden lawn ornaments to
photography, drawing and painting.

When she was 7 years old, she was introduced to a comic book called
“Elfquest” by Wendi and Richard Pini. Wendi’s work had such heart and
beauty, and she strove to emulate her new hero. In junior high, she learned
all about the “truly outrageous world” of Jem and the Holograms, and
thought, AHA! Fashion design! She began to experiment with costume
design, as well as still drawing the warrior princess or flower maidens. She
always loved drawing the human figure. Supposedly, the human figure is the
hardest thing to learn to depict, and for her, it was the most fun!

In high school, she also began to dabble with Prismacolor pencils, and
created some works that still hang in homes today. She also got into comic
books. Comic books were a significant step for her; knowing that other people
were doing art that they loved was a very important thing to see- and also
got to meet Wendi and Richard Pini!

Sometimes success takes longer than one plans, but makes achievements
all the more worth the struggle. At age 28, she proudly received her BFA in
Studio Art with an Art history minor in 2003 from Augustana College. At Augie,
she got back to basics and was exposed to REAL figure drawing, intaglio
printmaking and sculpture. One of her shining moments at Augustana was
when her 27 costume designs for the Augustana College Theater, “Picnic”
were accepted and critiqued by the distinguished panel at the regionals of
the American College Theater Festival.

Her new favorite medium is Fluid Acrylics- the vibrancy of the colors, and how
they wash over the paper are so much fun to work with. She has always loved
mythology and fantasy, and studying history to create her works.As time goes
on, she hopes to get better, to never develop a boring, tired style, and to make
a respectable living doing what she loves- Art.

 

Visit the Artist's Web Sites: www.carrigardaart.com

E-Mail the Artist: carri@carrigardaart.com

 

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Images, biography and photo used with permission.
Unauthorized reproduction in any form is strictly prohibited.