Rockford Register Star Special Section

September 21, 2014  by Jane Lethlean
Attracted to nature, Carrie Baxter sees art in mud.  Her artwork is often influenced by the natural world.  Her series of paintings, called “Delicious Mud,” is inspired by views at Yellowstone National Park.

The series is both acrylic and mixed media, Yellowstone National Park inspired her to see something that drew her to canvas.

“During my visits to Yellowstone, I observed numerous geysers, hot springs and mud pots from which water flowed and deposited minerals, and bacteria over rock and sediments that created patterns.  I chose to mimic these patterns and natural abstractions, and I added layers of texture and color.  It’s about encouraging views to find an appreciation and respect for nature.”

Baxter said she loves to take hikes.  She may photograph something she sees, or once she sits down at her easel, the visions of the day flow through the paintbrush.

“I’m attracted to nature in general,” she said.  “I love to look at compositions and colors that I see, and while I do photograph, I mostly develop my art from my memory.  I want to expand it into creating compositions I can create from life’s experiences and not just from pictures.”

Much of Baxter’s art is abstract.  She likes texture, different types of media, using sand, fibers and fabrics.  She does a lot of her work from acrylic resins but likes the use of encaustic, which is painting with wax.

Baxter said she done a lot of research with the use of encaustic wax.  This is a form of painting that dates back to the Renaissance time.  It comes down to melting and painting.

“This type of art is so intriguing to me, so I want to develop something different,” she said.

As office manager at the Freeport Art Museum, she said she feels right at home among works of art.  She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Northern Illinois University.  She has had her own work exhibited at the museum, but said the best part is interacting with other artists.  She likes to enter her works of art into juried art shows.  It’s all about the exposure.

“I have always had a passion for art.  My studio is in my basement, and I can often disappear there for hours,” she said.  “I am lucky that my husband, Nick, supports what I do, because I can just lose myself in my creations.”