Carrie Alderfer

Carrie Alderfer

Gurley, AL, United States

About Carrie Alderfer

My art focuses on color and humanity’s relationship with nature. From exquisite details found in fur and flowers to how nature overcomes the man-made, I use color to draw attention to aspects of the natural world that people often overlook in today’s crazy rat race. By focusing so close on the subject, sometimes to the point that it almost abstract, the viewer becomes engaged with the piece as they try and figure out what they are looking at. They know the subject is comfortable and familiar, yet the viewpoint offers them something unexpected. I want them to see, to really look and experience the natural world that we often miss. Each piece requires extensive planning to achieve simplicity of form and the strong positive and negative spaces. I work from my own reference photos and experiment with cropping the photos in Photoshop before I even begin the initial drawing. I create a fairly detailed line drawing on paper or canvas, and then the fun begins - color! I want the color to be intense and powerful. I use it to lead people to details they often miss in “real life”. Color is emotional for people, and I explore how the interplay of colors can augment emotion and connect people to the form. There’s no deep, hidden meaning behind my work. I capture the beauty of nature with simplified forms, striking details, and intense colors. Born and raised in Rock Hill, South Carolina, Carrie Alderfer has been a “color addict” for as long as she can remember. Alderfer was always fascinated by space and attended Space Academy Level II while in high school. That visit would help make the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) her college of choice, and she moved to Huntsville in 1993. She graduated with honors from UAH with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art in 1997. Following college, she was employed with various companies as a graphic designer, web programmer and art director. Alderfer’s work is characterized by her use of vibrant color and when she decided to start her own business in 2002, she launched it as ChromAddict. Based out of her home studio, Alderfer is devoted to helping small businesses better promote themselves. “I’m a bit of a geek,” says Alderfer. Her love of sci-fi is reflected in her work and she has become a “retro fanatic,” turning her home into something out of the 60’s…sputnik light and all! She lives in Gurley, Alabama with her husband, two boys and six cats. The cats are all named after cheese…this geek has a sense of humor, too.

Education:

The University of Alabama in Huntsville
Graduated in May 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Mathematics minor
Graduated Cum Laude
Completed the Honors Program and the Cooperative Education Program

Events:

None currently, but my studio is open Wednesday - Saturday.

Exhibitions:

Colored Pencil Society of America International Exhibition, Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA - 2015
Gadsden Art Association 57th Annual Juried Show, Gadsden Museum of Art, Gadsden, AL - 2015
Monte Sano Art Show, Monte Sano State Park, Huntsville, AL - 2015
River Clay Fine Arts Festival, Decatur, AL - 2015
Art on the Lake, Guntersville, AL - 2014
National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society Online International Exhibition - 2013