DPW Spotlight Interview: Carol Benally

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. To enter to win Carol's painting "Reflection" go to Daily Paintworks and click on the link at the top of the page announcing their interview.

From Carol's DPW Gallery Page:

Carol Benally Paint landscapes plein air and in the studio to create a peaceful view of the earth and sea.. She lived on the Navajo Reservation for thirty years where she painted the mesas and landforms of the Colorado Plateau. While still maintaining her heritage from the North Shore of Boston. She paints the Great Marsh of Massachusetts. Both have a quietness, solitude and open vistas that make painting them an easy transition.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I've been painting since Jr. High School. I went to Mass college of Art and Montserrat in Beverly and have a BFA.

Reflection
(click to view)

Enter to win by clicking on the link at the top of the DPW home page announcing Carol's interview.

Did you have any stops and starts in your painting career?

I always painted and have enjoyed painting landscapes my whole life. I taught public school art in Massachusetts and Arizona. But while I was teaching, I painted nights and weekends.

Evening Walk
(click to view)

What mediums and genres have you experimented with? Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away?

I went on many trips and painted outdoors on location About twenty years ago I used pastel for about ten years and sold in many galleries, and when I switched back to oils it was a challenge mixing colors and seeing all the variations that paint could give me.

At Dusk
(click to view)

Who or what inspires you most?

What inspires me the most is painting plein air, for a week at a time. Going to remote places and first absorbing the landscape, watching the colors while the sun rises and sets. I also like to look at other artists work for inspiration. My inspiration comes from Maynard Dixon, Georgia, O'keefe, Ray Robersts, a contemporary painter, all who inspire me to try harder.

As Shadows Become Night
(click to view)

What does procrastination look like for you?

I never feel like I procrastinate; when I feel like my studio work is in a slump, I immediately go outside and find something beautiful and try to paint. A small painting gets me back on track and looking forward to my next painting.

Evening Stillness
(click to view)

Thanks, Carol!

© 2020 Sophie Marine