Carroll Swenson-Roberts

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selected works

About the artist

Carroll Swenson-Roberts is a narrative artist who has always been most comfortable in the art room. One of six children, she was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. Her family’s travels included the Jersey shore, her grandparents’ house in Florida ,and their 100-year-old family ranch in west Texas. Graduating with a BFA in painting from the University of Texas at Austin in 1980, she has spent the last 30 years drawing the stories of her life and painting the landscapes of her travels to Dallas, Austin, Philadelphia, California and all the spaces in between.

Artist Statement

As a child the only thing I liked about church was the art. The art told stories in a direct but mysterious way. It interested me and I thought it was a wonderful way of communicating. The stories in artworks are not linear. The whole story is there to be seen in the order the viewer wishes to see it. The art I enjoy the most are the pieces that can change or reveal new and different readings when seen over time.

As an artist I start my drawings and paintings with figures or objects that are connected to what I have seen, or have lived, or have pondered. I choose the color and patterns of the space as a way to weave the story of those figures together. Sometimes I think of the figures and their surroundings like a play. The figures are the actors . The paint and the pencil, the pattern and the color make the set and provide a space for the story to be revealed.

solo exhibitions