Collection: Carol Roark

I love the outdoors. I love light. I love color. When all of the elements come together I can’t do anything but paint! As an artist, I am fascinated by the relationship between light and color and how one affects the other. Yes, you will see reoccurring elements in my work like horses, family and mostly my Mississippi landscape, but it all comes down to the light.

After receiving my BFA from Mississippi State in 1992, I studied extensively under Sammy Britt and focused on the techniques of Henry Hensche and the colorist movement. Sammy sees light and color unlike anyone I know. I have taken these techniques and incorporated them into my own style. 

I love painting outdoors “en plein air” and living on our horse farm at the edge of the Mississippi delta I have an unlimited supply of subject matter.  I am passionate about the vast alluvial plain that is the Mississippi Delta. I feel it is a magical landscape overlooked by most.  From the dusty dirt turn rows of the vast farmlands, to the age old cypress trees found in the many sloughs and swamps  scattered throughout  the lowlands, I want to show the world what beauty is so unique to the rural south.

When someone views my work, I want them to FEEL it. Whether it is a crisp autumn day or a the late day sun reflecting off of a horse’s back, I want to transport the viewer to a time and place that I deemed magical. 

When not at my easel, I spend time in the class room teaching and sharing my love for landscape painting.