About

Where are you from?
I inhabit a beautiful wooded corner of the Ozarks, USA–minutes away from the creative community of Joplin, Missouri. Born to a secluded family of artists carving an unconventional path through life, I was meant to create and rarely finish a day without doing just that.

What is your academic background?
My parents were world-renowned artists of their time. My dad encouraged in me technical excellence in art and a closeness with nature. My mother, his wife and creative partner, passed down her resilient zest for life. Their example and teaching laid the technical groundwork for my art. Life, research and the great creative masters continue to be my teachers.

What got you creating?
I’ve always had an irrepressible need to work with my hands, whether art, jewelry, clothes or woodcraft. As a teenager, drawing was a retreat for me from family struggles. After my daughter was born in my twenties, I found hope and relief from Post-partum Depression in nature, prayer, and art. I used my little bits of quiet time to draw and paint and have never stopped since.

What is your motivation?
Curiosity is a constant driver in my work, especially about the beauty and complexity of nature–witnessing the great work of the original Creator. If my art can inspire curiosity and wonder in others, or help to share a better understanding of the joy and pain that lives within each of us, I have done the work I was put here for.

What art do you create?
I typically create series of related pieces. The art of illustration is dear to me, and some of my work has a storytelling aspect. This is combined with my love of nature–and a little dash of hippie-psychedelia.
I’ve worked in everything from watercolor to wood ash, but I especially enjoy oil pastel. It’s a relative newcomer to the art world. Like oil paint in a crayon, it has rich color and smooth but sculptural texture. There’s nothing quite like this versatile medium. I want to inspire more people to try it.

What challenges you in your art?
My body has a lot of genetic issues and past injuries. These things that limit my daily life add different facets to my creative experience.
Autism-Spectrum Disorder creates in me a fascination for the small details and unusual patterns of the natural world. My nearsightedness means that I look closely to take in these details. The painful connective tissue disorder Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome requires a methodical approach with frequent breaks and reflection. And past traumas have helped me see different perspectives that I may not have otherwise understood.

What else do you enjoy?
My family: husband, daughter, and cat. Bike rides, forestry, proofreading, paper marbling, steel-drum playing, disaster movies. Naps. Strong coffee and dark beer.

How do I order your artwork?
Prints are available here on Fine Art America:
https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/2-veronica-carr

Several original works are available. To ask about purchasing an original piece, please email me at vleighcreative@gmail.com