artforartsake

Q. Carol, how did you come to be in those class given by Prof. McCray where I met you?

A. Well, M.G., that was now 22 years ago! (We laugh - time is a slippery thread.) I was disillusioned with the UC Psych. Department, their heavy behavioral orientation and using the poor lab animals. So, I signed up for that mural class, met you, and Giotto and Fra Angelico, and fresco. There was something so intriguing about working on a large scale -- and fresco, the melding of surface and form and color. (Fresco can last so much longer than regular canvases.) It is an ancient art and craft - a lost art I wanted to see live again. Those classes gave me the inspiration to work on a large scale, and how to go from a concept to a finished wall.

Q. Why walls? Why not just canvases?

A. Walls 'speak to me'. Give a sense of place, time, shelter. My dad was an architect, and later, brother,too. We had family outings of hiking, of drawing and painting in the surrounding Santa Clara Valley and hills. So I grew up painting and being aware of walls. The idea of painting on walls was a 'natural' for me. Walls also can be significant public spaces. I love the architectural space created by walls and ceilings It was a great time to be a budding muralist in the Bay Area.

. I have decorated many private houses and gardens. A recent experience sums it up for me. I took a job on a site that seemed familiar. I realized it was where we used to go hiking when I was young. Now if we walked there we would be trespassing on a private space. My gig was decorating in a newdot.com mansion of 18,000 square feet on sixty-four (64) acres, with an elevator for two adults and two toddlers. I was painting a very large l bathroom with a trompe l'oiel, working in a stylistic manner that requires a lot of patience and attention to detail. The clients were very demanding and difficult. I felt terrible that this kind of ostentation and gross consumption is gobbling up the last bit of open land southwest of San Jose.

I want to make a difference with my work. I want to see community based on values of love and cooperation, not greed. But I am grateful for all of my experiences. I am building a large repertory of visual communication skills that I can use anywhere. Right now I am more interested in the craft side than the fine art side of mural making. Each wall is unique and I love that challenge.

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