Artist's Statement

Although I have dealt with many subjects over the years, the farmland of the Midwest keeps pulling me back, so my current works all deal with the landscape in various ways. The patterns and colors of the traditional rural scene combined with the images and designs as seen from an aerial point of view provide continual inspiration. The abstracted images produced are the result of recombining all the parts into a new whole.

In the Square Roots series the repeated patterns of plowed and planted fields, the ever present structure of the barn and the constantly changing sky converge with the ideas of square acres, square deals, individuality, and personal roots. Traditional perspective and horizons are integrated with 360 degree and aerial views. The old barns represent our independent spirit and our ability to weather the storms of adversity. Each barn, farm, farmer and family have a unique story and I try to express some of that through the visual elements.

The Strata series deals with the layers and textures of the land, including what may lie beneath the surface as well as details of what we see above ground. The shapes, colors, textures and patterns of nature combine with bits of the manmade to create a rich and varied surface.

Work done on location tends to be smaller and more representational in style. These pieces stand independently but are also used as references for the more abstract studio paintings.

Biography

Carole Hennessy has been involved with watercolor and the arts for over 30 years as an artist and educator. A graduate of Quincy University, she received a BFA and went on to teach art in both Missouri and Illinois. She owned and operated a frame shop and gallery in Quincy and later in Downers Grove. During all of that time, she continued to work in watercolor and to participate in workshops to strengthen her skills. 

Carole is a signature member of the Illinois Watercolor Society, the Missouri Watercolor Society, the Taos National Society of Watercolorists and the Watercolor Honor Society. Recently, she has had solo exhibits at the Perkinson Gallery at Millikin University and at the Union League Club of Chicago and she exhibits regularly in both regional and national juried exhibitions. Three times she has been an artist-in-residence with The Fields Project in Ogle County, Illinois.

Currently, Carole has her studio in Chicago where she lives with her husband.