Carroll Swenson-Roberts tells stories with color, pattern, space and shape. These elements narrate the particular time and tale of the figures in each piece of work. As a young artist, Swenson-Roberts was drawn to medieval art and its symbolism.
Carroll Swenson-Roberts grew up in Dallas, Texas and received a BFA from the University of Texas in Austin.
Swenson-Roberts’ narrative art is shaped by important events in her life. Growing Up in a large Irish Catholic Family, Marriage, Motherhood, Travels, Home, Friends, Pets, Meals, Music, Gardening, and Walks are the subject of her work. These themes focus on the surprise and joy of an ordinary life.
"As a child the only thing I liked about church was the art. The art told stories in a direct but mysterious way. It interested me and I thought it was a wonderful way of communicating. The stories in artworks are not linear. The whole story is there to be seen in the order the viewer wishes to see it. The art I enjoy the most are the pieces that can change or reveal new and different readings when seen over time.
As an artist I start my drawings and paintings with figures or objects that are connected to what I have seen, or have lived, or have pondered. I choose the color and patterns of the space as a way to weave the story of those figures together. Sometimes I think of the figures and their surroundings like a play. The figures are the actors . The paint and the pencil, the pattern and the color make the set and provide a space for the story to be revealed."