Tales of Belize
Interview with artist Carolyn Carr

Carolyn Carr is Belize’s adopted daughter. She, in fact, grew up on a ranch in Kansas and is amazed that she emerged from that utilitarian background an artist; yet, her spirit was always inclined in that direction, to not only paint on canvas but to infuse the world with the light of her message. Since her move to Belize, that country, people and culture has provided the muse and subject for many of her paintings which all tell a compelling tale.

“Women in difficult circumstances have been a reoccurring theme in my art.  I am challenged to paint that complex facial expression that emulates pain and yet dignity, a determination in the face of suffering, to overcome the odds and the obstacles.”

Belle: Why are you an artist, and when did you first become one?

Carolyn: The only thing I truly have authority over in my life is my canvas, the brushes and the paint.  We all have presumed authority over different arenas but in the end, most authority we assume can be eroded or stripped away.  I can paint joy or sorrow, sunshine or rain. It is a very gratifying endeavor to manipulate and control the lives of those poor hapless subjects on my canvas; to give them a radiant smile or a sinister scowl is a reenactment of life. I got my first box of oil colors for my 8th grade graduation.  I still remember the excitement of smelling the cadmium orange paint when I opened that box.  It didn't smell like oranges.  It is the most wonderful smell I know.

Belle: What is your purpose as an artist?

Carolyn: My purpose as an artist is to infuse insight and hope into the human condition. If you observe human nature, even the slightest gesture or facial expression can shout a message.  As people interact with each other, they innately understand these messages. These are mannerisms that transcend culture and time. A keen sense of awareness can convey with the brush far more than the written or even spoken word.

I believe I have a mandate to elevate rather than desecrate the human spirit.  That is not to say that I won't address unpleasant subjects.  It is to say, however, that I won't through my paintings glorify evil. My purpose in this life is to be clay in God's hands to be molded into something useful to Him that serves His Son and blesses other people.

Belle: What was is like growing up on a wheat farm in Kansas?

Carolyn: I was blessed with wonderful parents who gave me a very solid upbringing.  I learned from the soil that there are no guarantees in life.  Farm "kids" learn early on that crops fail, cherished animals die and truly, there is great reward and fun in hard work.  Nothing was dearer to me than to be by my daddy's side to help with a difficult task.  I was driving an old LA Case tractor when I was 10 years old and could "set" irrigation tubes as good as any boy.  I didn't get a salary but I was rewarded with quality time with my parents. 

Belle: What are your most fond memories?

Carolyn: My fondest memories of my childhood pretty much centered around things I did with my grandfather and my parents.  I always went with grandpa to "check the cattle" along with the Australian cattle dog Jack.

On Sundays after church, mother made Sunday dinner and if it had rained (which it didn't do too often) or if the wind had blown hard (which it did all the time) dad and I and my little brother and sister would load up and drive over to Eastern Colorado near Chivington and hunt for arrowheads, relics of the famous Chivington or Sand Creek massacre.  Dad had several mason jars full of arrowheads.  Oh, and he had mason jars full of rattle snake rattles as well, some with several "buttons"

Sometimes on Sunday we would take the "thirty ott six" or the "two seventy"  and go coyote hunting and on cold winter evenings in the basement of our home I spent hours and hours playing with the spent primers as my dad reloaded shells or playing with the metal curled shavings from dad's metal lathe he used to turn all sorts of amazing things from gun parts to rings.

My mother made wonderful cherry pies and fresh bread.  She canned peaches, beans and so many other things like the farm wives of that era did.  I could go on and on here.  Perhaps I could even write a book. 

Belle: Did your childhood influence who you are now as an artist?

Carolyn: My grandfather was a crusty old German who didn't want to be called a German because of the war, so he told us we were Pennsylvania Dutch. He didn't smile much but I was the apple of his eye.  Even my mother said I was about the only person he would tolerate.  He died when I was 14 and it rocked my world to lose him. 

I remember that when I was 4 years old we were out in the field sitting on the tailgate of the pickup and as usual I was pestering him.  He found an old oil filter carton, tore it open to lay flat and reached into the bib of his overalls for a stub of a pencil.  He drew a square and then over that square he drew another and connected the corners to make a box.  It instantly impacted my young mind. I understood the concept.  

In the flat Western Kansas geometry, everything vertical must submit to the horizon. Typical artistic subjects such as bowls of fruit, vases of flowers and scenic vistas don't exist in reality.  Green is a rare hue.  Brilliant colors are scarce. It forces a creative approach to aesthetics.  

There was no art in the small farming community of Tribune.  There was a family in Tribune, the Ward Hamptons, their mother was a professional artist and had a studio in Manitou Springs, Colorado. When she passed away, the family brought many of her paintings to their home in Tribune and the walls of the entire house, which was large, were covered solid with her work.  These were exceptionally fine pieces of art.  Occasionally we went to visit the Hamptons and I was completely lost in those paintings.  Mrs. Hampton was very versatile.  She painted flowers, fruit, horses, people in somewhat classical settings and perhaps most wonderfully of all, a giant painting of a Western Kansas dirt storm. Those paintings were perhaps my greatest influence as a young person.

Belle: Why did you move to Banana Bank?

Carolyn: In 1972 our friend Bill Jaeger read an article in National Geographic called Belize the Awakening Land and he told my husband John that it looked like a good place to grow corn.  At the time we had a commercial cattle feedlot in Western Kansas and didn't have much interest in growing corn.  However Bill mentioned it a few more times and one day out-of-the-blue one of our cattle feeding clients contacted John to inform him of a ranch for sale in British Honduras and asked if he knew of anyone that just might be interested in buying. Bill Jaeger just happened to be sitting out in the parking lot in his pickup.  John told the man on the phone to hold on and he rushed out to tell Bill about the offer.  The very next day John and Bill flew to Belize to see this ranch called Banana Bank.

My husband fell in love with Banana Bank, with the river that runs by it and with the beauty of the country of Belize and it's people.  He lost his heart here and so there was no peace in his heart until our business in Kansas was sold and we moved to Belize.  On March the 9th, 1977 we loaded up all our possessions in an 8' x 16' truck along with our 2 daughters ages 9 and 12 years, and drove through Mexico to Belize.  We have now lived here nearly 34 years.

Belle: How did this movement affect your art?

Carolyn: I paint very little that is not about Belize. This culture and land have given me a wealth of subject matter, the rare opportunity to record an emerging culture, one that, 32 years ago, did not have many painters or artisans. The ones that were here had very little supplies with which to work and there was no instruction or encouragement.  There was the legendary George Gabb of course and Belisle. They were almost alone in the artistic arena.

Belle: How do you choose your subjects?

Carolyn: I seem to gravitate toward feelings and emotions. I want to capture something that is fleeting or changing. I can't get interested in a bowl or fruit.  I need to feel a sense of involvement in the subject. 

Belle: Do all your paintings tell a story?

Carolyn: Most do.  Sometimes I tell myself the story as the painting is evolving.  I get to know the characters personally.  Always, however, I want the painting to communicate some truth of the sort that is often missed in day-to- day life. The story of Fight or Flight would be an example.

Belle: Is there a common thread amongst these stories?

Carolyn: I have done many paintings of women in various capacities.  As a child, I saw my mother work very hard.  She did not care if it was man's work or woman's work, if it needed to be done, she would figure out a way to do it.  She was a tiny little woman and looking back I am astonished at the strength she had.  It was this underpinning that allowed me to persevere in a country that in 1977 was a pioneer existence, at least in the ranch setting, where we lived without electricity or even running water for about 10 years. 

Women in difficult circumstances have been a reoccurring theme in my art. I am challenged to paint that complex facial expression that emulates pain yet dignity, a determination in the face of suffering, to overcome the odds and the obstacles. Even my paintings of wildlife have this tone and resonance. I will never paint hopelessness or self-pity. I will never paint defeat.  I will leave that theme for those who dread the future.