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 week without doing just that.

What is your academic background?
My parents’ example and teaching laid the foundation of my creative journey. My father, a world-renowned woodcarver, encouraged technical excellence in art and a closeness with nature. My mother, a seamstress and entrepreneur, passed down her creativity and resilient zest for living. Life, hands-on experience 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-making, sewing or woodcraft. Drawing was a retreat for me from teenage 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, slowly piecing myself back together. Curiosity is a constant driver in my work, especially about the beauty and complexity of nature. 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, my style ever-evolving. 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 dash of hippie-psychedelia.

I’ve worked in everything from watercolor to wood ash and am open to any medium. I especially enjoy the unique versatility of oil pastel. Like oil paint in a crayon, it has rich color and smooth but sculptural texture. Another love is ebru marbling: a joyful, messy 800-year-old art form made “new” again in the medium of acrylics.

What challenges you in your art?
In every medium, my Autism inspires a fascination for detail and pattern-seeking, and drives me to be the best I can be. Healing from physical challenges such as major joint surgeries, necessitates a methodical approach with frequent breaks and reflection. And past traumas have helped me see perspectives that I may not have otherwise understood. These differences add many facets to my creative experience.

What else do you enjoy?
My family: husband, daughter, cat. Forestry, gardening, learning & research, bike-riding, disaster and scifi (& scifi disaster) movies. Naps. Strong coffee and dark chocolate.

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