| Bio of Artist Carolyn Anne Anderson |
When I was 17 years old, I was a passenger in a SUV accident. Surviving this event became a defining point in my life. When the doctors diagnosed me with permanent paralysis, I began a journey to health and healing. In 1996 a four legged companion joined me on my path; Tyler J Worthington, my black Labrador Retriever service dog. We were together for the last decade and his love has truly transformed my life and who I am.
Dogs have the incredible ability to teach us about love, acceptance, gratitude, and most of all, joy. As Tyler taught me these truths my world opened up in amazing ways. I was able to do things I never thought possible, including: playing on a national championship wheelchair basketball team, traveling the world, earning a couple of degrees, finding and marrying my soul mate, and giving birth to two children.
In 2005, while pregnant with my son, I was placed on prolonged bed rest. I did some sketches of Tyler who was my constant bedside companion. When my son was born perfect and healthy I took these sketches and made a gratitude painting of Tyler. When friends saw it they asked me to paint their dogs and it grew. In 2007 I started a website, muttbutt.com, to display the dog paintings mostly just for friends (at the time 2 1/2 year old Oskar helped pick out the name). Things grew again when I started getting emails with all your stories and photos. Then in July 2008 the AZ Daily Star ran a story which featured the paintings and things continued to transform, evolve, and expand.
The dog paintings which began 2005 were the beginning of an artistic part of my life I really didn't know existed.
I had taken some art classes in high school and in my teens considered art school, but after my accident in 1991 I set painting aside to pursue a more "practical" career (and one that might include stability and health insurance). After an almost a 14 year hiatus, and no formal training, I began creating art again by painting dogs.
Motherhood, my relationship with Tyler, and the loving support of my husband Carl, have helped me find my calling as an artist and to have the courage to have my art "out there" in the world, and again amazing things have happened.
I have completed quite a few paintings now. Each dog I've painted is a visual representation of a sacred being who changed someone's life just by being their true self. Each painting a journey and a reflection of a place in my life. In the process I have learned more about my true self and why we are here.
Now I have expanded into painting other things. Exploring nature, trees, Tibetan Prayer Flags, and recently I've had a lot of fun painting chickens going around Tucson in a series entitled "Pollos del Pueblo".
I began showing my work at Steven Derk's Gallery 801 in Tucson in the spring 2009. Connecting with a group of artists Derks brought together called the Tucson Revivalist Artist Collective (TRAC). I participated in a few TRAC shows and in October of 2009 I had my first solo show at Gallery 801.
It has been a really fun journey the past 5 years exploring and making art. I appreciate your role in the process. It's much more fun, difficult, exciting, terrifying, and rewarding to create art that I know someone will look at and interact with. The learning and growing continues with each piece. I look forward to what the future holds. I truly appreciate your taking the time to be part of my art and part of the journey.
Thanks for stopping by,
Namaste
Carolyn
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