ARTIST INFO

CARMEN GRIER
Bakersville, NC

MIXED MEDIA | Painting

Penland Affiliation | Penland Resident Artist 1994 – 1996, Penland Instructor 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004

Artist Information | Studio artist; education: MFA Cranbrook Academy of Arts (MI), MA The University of Iowa (IA), BA The University of Iowa (IA); teaching: Penland (NC), Appalachian State University (NC), Arrowmont (TN); exhibitions: Blowing Rock Art Museum (NC), Folk Art Center (NC), Piedmont Craftsmen Gallery (NC), Crimson Laurel Gallery (NC)

Artist Biography | Carmen Grier has been creating functional and art textiles for 40 years and has recently transitioned to painting as her current practice. She has taught and exhibited nationally, been awarded national and international residencies, and her award-winning work has been featured in Fiberarts Magazine and Surface Design Journal.

Artist Statement | Nature has always been my mentor. I am inspired by its intriguing shapes, textures, lines, and color combinations created by light and shadow as well as its ability to evoke a memory of place in the most non-objective ways. These abstract qualities are the hallmarks of music (my first course of study) as well as visual art — they have long informed my textile work and now they come to call in my current involvement with oil paint and cold wax medium on canvas and panel.

While my past work and influences inform my new direction, my change in practice feels like a leap into yet another seductive and mysterious realm of creativity. Each step on my path is a process of discovery; this is truly a deeply intuitive, challenging, and exciting personal journey for me. I am pleased to share it with you.