"The Quest for Order in the Abstract" I am currently working on a new series of paintings that addresses our fundamental drive to seek order in chaos. The works in this collection, such as "Abstract Discourse", "Absinthe", and Vive La", feature bold lines of color cutting through abstract forms; the lines help illuminate images before hidden in the work. My hope is to draw the viewer to the abstract by allowing him a hint of underlying order-- just enough so that he feels assured in abandoning himself to the larger complexities of the piece. Pictured:  "Abstract Discourse" Acrylic on Canvas 20" x 16" Sold:  Private Collection [Announcement - Joe Carroll - 2Ko - 2007]

Just Joe I have always been a strong believer in the individual's ability to create their own circumstances.  The world at large may be too much for one person to change, but our everyday situations and surroundings are well within our power to shape into something extraordinary.  As an artist, I have experimented with various media, and my career has taken me from New Orleans to Taos to Durango, Colorado.  But it is my underlying belief in the individual that unifies my work.             Of late I have focused my energy on two forms of creation:  mixed media sculpture and acrylic paintings. I spent an extensive period of time as a metal sculptor in Taos, but my focus in Durango has been incorporating found materials into my steel work.  One of my favorite things to do is take ordinary, everyday objects all around us and use them to create something unique.  These pieces are large and imposing in scale (to the point that I need several people to help move some of them!!), but I take special pride in the fact that I am giving recycled materials new life through my work.  The body of "Bella" the bell is made from a German oxygen tank from World War I.  Who would have thought that an old piece of rusted, discarded steel could be sonorous?  Similarly, "We the people . . ." incorporates a discarded fan welded to the side railing of an old dump truck, and "The Sun, the Moon, and The Stars" is made from rebar I found in the yard next to my studio.  As for the "Colorado Chair", upon closer inspection a client said, "Hey, I think that's my old license plate on the back!" My paintings started off as an experiment in conjunction with my sculptures.  I had painted a bit in the past, and sought to undertake a two-dimensional compositional study to aid my understanding of spatial relations.  However, as I found myself expressing ideas through brushes and paint I became hooked on the feeling of freedom that comes from filling a blank canvas with color.  Over the past few months this exploration has allowed me to produce "Global Warming", "The Buoyancy of Citrus", "Butterfly", and others. My work is exhibited at Lime Berry Gallery in Durango, Colorado.  Curriculum Vitae Recent Works Sculpture ·       Sounding off! Bell series incorporating the sonorous in sculpture.  Steel, found object, and recycled materials. o      "Bella" the Bell Found Object: Steel, Copper, Cedar 39" x 34" base x 68" height Lime Berry Gallery, Durango, CO o      "Embellish" the Bell Found Object:  Steel 19" x 29" x 9" Amber Boutique, Ridgeway, CO o      "Watch" Found Object:  Steel, Rebar, Cedar 53" x 8" x 50" Lime Berry Gallery, Durango, CO o       "Bellissimo" Steel Available for viewing at studio; call to schedule appointment ·       "The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars" Collaboration with Leland Holiday Steel sculpture featuring found object and recycled material 29" x 17" base x 105" height Lime Berry Gallery, Durango, CO                          ·       "We the . . ." Acrylic painted steel sculpture featuring found object and recycled material 93" x 49" x 4" depth           Available for viewing at studio; call to schedule appointment Paintings  ·       LIVING large Series of large-scale abstract paintings o       "Global Warming".  Acrylic on Canvas, 55" x 60" o       "The Buoyancy of Citrus".  Acrylic on Canvas, 54" x 60" o       "Butterfly".  Acrylic on Canvas, 60" x 55" ·       "Contemporary Discourse" Series of paintings addressing the search for form in the abstract •o       "Abstract Discourse".  Acrylic on Canvas, 16" x 20" •o       "Absinthe: The Green Fairy".  Acrylic on Canvas, 12" x 24" •o       "Look".  Acrylic on Canvas, 12" x 24"  ·       Commission Project with Evergreen Studio February 2007:  Contract studio artist on two projects:  large set fabrication (40' x 100') and hand-carved coral reef.                               [Biography - Joe Carroll - 14Ko]