We recently connected with Carole Rogers and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Carole thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

There are moments when I wish I had a formal art eduation. I wonder if it would have pushed me into more experiemental and creative directions. I wonder if it would have connected me to a mentor who would have provided me with direction and insight into becoming an artist. Or enabled me to work with a variety of professors giving me exposure to more sides of my creative self. I took one life drawing class in college at NYU but art wasn’t my major. I studied English Literature with the hope of one day going to law school. As the first person in my family attending college, I felt a sense of responsibility to choose something practical and, hopefully, lucrative. I remember loving the challenges of working from live models in that class, also my amazement at their comfort to pose for us. I learned alot but didn’t have the confidence to pursue an artistic career at the time. Given all that, becoming at artist somewhat later in life has given me a profound sense of appreciation for my ability to be creative in a variety of mediums and produce art.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I sell original paintings in oil, pastel, and acrylic. I welcome commissions for portraits, figures, still life, pets and landscape. My work is grounded in the fundamentals of classical realism with a strong push toward impressionism and sometimes abstraction. I seek to create a visual narrative with my work that connects to someone on an emotional level. My backstory into art began in 2010 while living abroad in London when I signed up for a figure and portrait class. Working from life in glorious north light was like a creative awakening. Back in the U.S. I continued studying life drawing and portraiture with renowned artist Scott Nickerson, who taught me so much about form, composition, color, and bringing a painting to life. From oils, I moved onto painting in pastels, taking workshops with as many teachers as I could. From the onset, I loved the tactical nature of pastels and the ability to layer vibrant colors. It also opened up for me an experimental side of myself since I could work quickly and play with bold mark making. I more recently began experimenting with intuitive abstract painting in acrylics and love playing with color and creating atmosphere. To put it simply, I got into the art business by virtue of showing up everyday; and by creating a disciplined approach to studying and learning.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist for me involves growth and learning. Trying out new techniques and materials with an experimental mindset keeps expanding my ideas about what I want to say with my art. It’s also rewarding to connect to other artists who find joy in the creative process. Observing their process and approach to art is a constant source of inspiration.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the lessons I personally had to unlearn was feeling insecure about not having a formal art education. It took me a long time to come to terms with and embrace my unique path to becoming an artist. And encountering other self-taught creatives has motivated and inspired me along the way. Even though my degree is not in art, it doesn’t invalidate the work I produce today. It simply means I took a different path to get where I am. With maturity also comes a sense of caring less about what people think and more about honoring my own creative voice.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://carolerogersart.com
• Instagram: @carole.paintings
• Facebook: Carole Gandolfo Rogers
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carole-rogers-b70b7432

Image Credits

Nicole Martin Photography (headshot)
Carole Rogers (artwork)