This painting developed in layers. The present composition surprised me. I stopped and kept it because it had an interesting diagonal, a variety of shapes and so much movement. It was a springboard for other paintings, a new idea. "A New Idea" was inspired by the movement in nature surrounding my studio (the bayou, the pine trees, the clouds in the sky).
Artist + Carolyn Busenlener
Follow this artistI am a New Orleans city gal that has "escaped" to the country. We built my studio after Katrina in Pearlington, Mississippi and I have never been happier. My studio is located on a bayou next to a pond. There are no other houses in sight. The seclusion helps me focus on my painting practice.
As a young woman, I graduated from Newcomb College of Art, Tulane University after spending my first two years of college outside of New York City. I received a BFA with a painting major from Newcomb. Then my husband and I raised a family in New Orleans where I taught art for 20 years. I always continued to paint, first in oils and later in acrylics. I painted in my kitchen, the carport, or a spare room.
I call myself an abstract expressionist because I play with composition, color, shape, and mark-making trying to express my emotions at the time. I am influenced by the nature outside my studio and my life experiences. Painting has given my life joy and purpose. It has helped me weather life’s difficulties. Art is my therapy. I always know if I want to feel happiness, I just need to step into my studio and create.
Over the years I have received recognition. In 2012 and 2018, I was awarded the Mississippi Arts Commission Visual Arts Fellowship. In 2014, I was invited to participate in the Mississippi Museum of Art Invitational. I received the Hiatt Fellowship in order to travel to benefit my art. The Mississippi Museum of Art now has one of my paintings in its Mississippi permanent collection. I have received awards in various juried shows.
Painting is what I love, but I do not love marketing my work. I hope my paintings bring pleasure to others. I am especially thrilled when someone responds to my work and wants it in their life.
PEARLINGTON
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