Debbie Carroll

Better late than never, was never so true especially when it comes to finding ones passion! Throughout my formative years, I studied art and dreamed of being an artist, but was convinced I couldn’t make a go of it. After many years of procrastination, my creative adventure began with designing and selling jewelry, it was perfect for me at the time as a stay at home mom. But the urge to paint was strong, even though I’d never done much painting. I always considered my talent to be drawing, and strove for realistic images with a perfectionist zeal. So when I did begin making art again, I was hyper-critical of my efforts.

At this time we were traveling to New Mexico every chance we could get, and I fell in love with the expressionist aspect of the art we were seeing in Santa Fe and Taos. So I decided to sign up for a painting workshop with Stephen Kilborn in Taos. The workshop was abstract watercolor, two things outside my comfort zone! He taught us to focus on simplified shapes and flat planes of color. Little did I know that this way of painting would open the door to a new way of painting, I had found my voice. Inspired by the landscape, I’ve continued to paint scenes of my travels, but am equally inspired by what I see in my own back yard. We now reside in West Texas and recently I had the opportunity to participate in the En Plein Air Texas event in San Angelo, a highlight of my art career. Not only did I jury into this prestigious event, but also won a Judges Choice Award and the San Angelo Museum purchased a piece for their collection. Plein Air painting is now a regular part of my art practice, in addition to my studio work. I’ve participated in local and regional art shows, including the 2021 Cowgirl Up! Exhibition at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum in Wickenburg, Arizona. Debbie Carroll is represented in Arizona by Wilde Meyer Galleries.