We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Carol Tasker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Carol thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Call it luck, destiny, or kismet; I believe I was born with an artist’s soul. My love for creativity blossomed during my young years at “Tall Timbers,” my parent’s home in Keighley, a small village in Yorkshire, England. Our quiet backyard tucked into a magnificent forest of trees and lush plants dotted with trumpet-shaped English bluebells. Gazing at their deep-violet blooms birthed my love for vibrant color. I was blissfully happy whenever my grandfather arrived at our home armed with drawing paper and colored pencils. Together we sketched rabbits, deer, and other wildlife spotted from our garden patio.
As a poet studies the art of poetry, I commenced an artistic mission, logging years of study into various forms of art, attaining a Visual Arts Degree, and attending numerous international workshops. In 2011, I learned a new style of painting that took my breath away. It was then I committed to making art my full-time career and never looked back. The world of intuitive art fit me and became my brand.
Intuition is like an inner compass directing the approach to my work. I create my art with a heart-centered awareness emanating from within. Trusting my imagination to guide my hand,I produce a uniqueness that sets me apart from others because it tells my story. Each piece I create is connected to a sweet memory that translates into joyful emotions, filling my canvas with images that conjure up love, peace, happiness, and bliss.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

The British sculptor Henry Moore once said, “To be an artist is to believe in life.” My work is themed around love, as is my life. I am proud to have the courage to follow my heart when standing before an easel. My brand was birthed through experimentation and is identifiable by a mixture of bright, bold colors and symbols. I delight in creating a magical world with thought-provoking, inviting, alluring objects.

The process of intuitive painting begins with no preconceived ideas or plans. I start the technical elements of my work by generously layering acrylic paint and ink in various colors onto the canvas using multiple mark-making techniques. Layer upon layer, images emerge almost magically. My next step is to incorporate detail. It is during this process that a colorful, harmonious painting develops. Following my intuitive nature, I doodle fine details utilizing acrylic paint pens, inks, and markers. Sometimes, my quirky side takes over, and I use unconventional tools such as feathers, sticks, corks, stamps, and empty containers. Working this way allows an entire painting to arise from my imagination.

I incorporate merriment by inserting various animals, flowers, and other objects that illicit powerful emotions of happiness in the viewer. Often, I feature dogs, pelicans, and my favorite animal, the donkey, which I hold close to my heart. I intend to delight the viewers as they focus on gleeful, joyous creatures. My series, “101 Dreams” is indicative of my signature intuitive whimsical style.

These adventures in art appear on canvas, wood, paper, and metals. Enhancing my signature brand beyond the traditional mediums, I produce a collection of stunning wearable art, including lovely leggings and dazzling denim jackets adorned with the fun forms and figures created in my approach to art. Also, on my website, you can find stunning throw pillows that light up a sofa, window seat, or a favorite armchair.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

As in all professions, success stems from hard work, dedication, and determination. It’s about focusing on goals and powering through adversity. I had my share of struggles. When I need to soldier up, I arm myself with a steely resilience.

There was a period during my art career when I experienced intense pain due to a back fusion. I live to paint, so packing up my art gear was not an option. I refused to let my physical condition deter me.
Unable to resume my position behind the easel in my studio, I got creative. My out-of-the-box work process was almost comical. I covered my bed in towels, then took great care in decanting paint into tiny glass bottles and set up brushes on a stand to my left. After positioning the tools of my craft, I lay down with my paper or canvas propped up and did breathing exercises to ease into a meditative state, away from the throbbing pain.

This work process was also valuable when three consecutive foot operations kept me off my feet. Unable to walk and stand, I reverted to my bed-method working style and initiated my “101 Dream” series. I painted a magical world of fun devoid of pain. If you view any piece of work in this series, you will be drawn into a colorful, magical world where inviting images capriciously abound in a fun fantasy setting.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Simply put, one of the most significant rewards of being an artist is spending my days doing what I love. Creating beautiful things using various mediums and producing unique pieces that make the viewer feel joyful emotions is immensely satisfying. Think about it: a lot happens in your brain when you are visually creative. Talk to a sculptor, master baker, or chocolatier; we all generate euphoria from inventing images to delight the senses.

Art is the ability to flex our imaginations. I feel energized as I enter my studio each day and start flexing. I daydream and fantasize in my mind’s eye until my hand begins to dance across the canvas, translating into a cornucopia of color and playful images.

What adds to my creative sense of worth is the ability to share my art with the world through my website and across social media. My work provides the honor of giving the viewer a look into how I view our environment.
And whether the road is rocky or smooth, I am thankful for my life as a creative.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.caroltaskerart.com
• Instagram: caroltasker
• Facebook: Carol Rhodes Tasker
• Linkedin: Carol Tasker
• LinkedIn: Carol Tasker

Image Credits
Charles Tasker