Botanical Explorations

ARTIST’S STATEMENT:

The botanical world is endlessly fascinating to me. The variety of forms, textures, and colors to be found in plants is truly a treasure trove of ideas for an artist. I spend a lot of time photographing plants whenever I come across interesting ones in my travels, or in my daily life at home, and these become the source material for my paintings. I am always on the lookout for subjects that have strong sculptural qualities, bold and unusual color combinations, or an intriguing play of light and shadow. I like to move in close and paint a subject larger than life, as a way of drawing the viewer’s attention and appreciation to details that might otherwise be overlooked.

Spending time painting in my studio, I am often transported back to the time and place where something first caught my attention – a hike in the forest near the Oregon coast, a morning walk on the beach in Mexico, a stroll through the botanical gardens in St. Croix – and I can relive those memories while I’m working. When I return from vacation in a beautiful place, I make art as a way of holding onto that experience, creating my own “little piece of paradise” to help me remember. I hope that my art will serve as a celebration of the beautiful, vibrant diversity that surrounds us in nature, and an encouragement to bring these reminders of the outside world into our homes and work places.

Carol Sexton grew up in the suburbs of Buffalo, New York. She did her undergraduate work in Art Education at Buffalo State College and taught junior high and high school art in public and private schools for several years. She received an MFA in Studio Art from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro before moving to Richmond, Indiana in 1987. After earning the M.Div degree from Earlham School of Religion in 2001, she worked in Campus Ministry at Earlham College followed by six years as the Arts and Spirituality Teacher at a Quaker retreat center in Pennsylvania. In 2012 she returned to Richmond where she currently maintains a studio and is pursuing her art full time.

Travel directions to Pendle Hill. Click to view the flyer.