Carrie MaKenna

Hi - I'm Carrie MaKenna. I make artwork to remind people of their interconnection with each other, nature and the universe.

I've been showing and selling my artwork for over 30 years. My work is in private collections throughout the US, Mexico, Europe, and Japan. I've also been selected for several public art commissions. I'm inspired at the intersection of art, psychology and spirituality. I paint experiences both seen and unseen to create colorful abstracts, landscapes and portraits.

I specialize in acrylic on canvas. I focus primarily on abstraction both representational and non-representational, but also paint bespoke portraits of people and animals by commission. I enjoy creating unique images that evoke an intuitive experience in the viewer.

I use liquid acrylics in order to work quickly and get a lot of paint on the canvas. I stick to a palette of sixteen specially selected colors and mix them to create rich, colorful experiences. I create texture on the canvas, using a thick acrylic paste. Then I paint over the texture to create images and experiences that are both beautiful and unexpected.

I make artwork that takes the viewer on a road less traveled by.

BFA, Colorado State, University, Ft. Collins CO
Fine Art, Graphic Design, Ceramics and Painting

MA, The Naropa University, Boulder CO
Counseling Psychology, Adult Education and Art Therapy

I am deeply inspired by the Abstract Expressionists of the 40s, 50s & 60s. Helen Frankenthaler, Joan Mitchell, Mary Abbot and Judith Godwin. And of course a couple of men too, Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, and Mark Rothko (whith whom I share a birth date). And let's not forget the more abstract landscape works of Georgia O'Keefe.

abstract, tree, landscape, texture, nature, skyscape