Carrie Baxter is from Northwest Illinois, and currently lives and works in Central Indiana. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio painting and a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies from Northern Illinois University (NIU). Carrie’s artwork has been exhibited throughout the Midwest in juried and group exhibitions.
Carrie’s artwork references elements of nature by focusing on the rare, overlooked, and often disregarded. She also incorporates texture into her artwork in order to create a psychological struggle within the viewer; although traditionally it is socially unacceptable for viewers to physically touch artworks that are on display, her textured paintings provoke an overwhelming desire for the viewer to reach out and feel the surface of the artwork in order to qualm their curiosity and feel some of the ridges and grooves of the media. This desire places the viewer at an impasse where they have to decide whether or not to control their tactile impulses by restraining their desire to further experience the artwork on a physical level. "My artwork references elements of nature and the relationship people have to the environment. Humans live on this plant, along with all other life both flora and fauna, and it is important to remember that we all share this world. Nature is powerful and can be resilient, but human beings continuously leave their mark even when not physically present. Therefore, it is important for us all to recognize the ways that we impact our surroundings and therefore the world we live in." - Carrie Baxter |