Late at night, as the city falls into sleep, Carrie’s creativity awakens. She retreats into her painting area where she silences the world, putting on her headphones, zoning into her work.
Carrie is a 29-year-old self-taught painter located in the West Loop who specializes in portrait realism. Her paintings have been featured in exhibits and competitions. In 2019, her portrait of Nipsey Hussle won the “Do It All Silent Art Beat” show.
The self-described night owl takes one of the oil tubes from the neatly color-coordinated collection on her cart, left of the easel where her canvas sits. She starts by mixing colors on her pallet, then begins sketching.
“I just go from there,” she said.
A lamp hovering over her canvas is the spotlight waiting for her to perform.
From a young age she recalls her love of art, with memories of her brother, her first best friend, being one of her major influences: “I grew up watching him and being intrigued. I wanted to learn more.”
From sketching to coloring books, she would create art on anything she could get her hands on. But it wasn’t until elementary school when one of her teacher’s showcased her piece that she knew this could become something more.
“Not only do I like it, but other people like my work,” said Carrie, recalling how victorious she felt in that moment as a child. “That’s when I realized this was something I could do.”
She began oil painting only two years ago. She learned by watching YouTube and other artists. But mostly she learned by trial and error.
“It takes a lot of patience and perseverance,” Carrie said.
She is working towards hyper-realism. She has portrayed pop culture icons like Rihanna and the late Kobe Bryant, a fan favorite.
“There’s blood sweat and tears behind every painting,” said Carrie, revealing she spends more than 40 hours on some paintings.
Carrie is an American of Pacific Islander descent. She was born in Hawaii and has lived all around the United States.
Her family is originally from the Marshall Islands. They were displaced after World War II when the United States tested atomic bombs on the islands, forcing natives to evacuate.
The most impactful painting for Carrie is the portrait depicting Foreign Minister Tony DeBrum of the Marshall Islands.
“Every painting has a back story,” she said.
He became a monumental figure to the people of the island by advocating against nuclear weapons and playing a pivotal role in the country’s independence in the 1970s.
“He was part of a lot of lives, and mine too,” Carrie said. The painting hits closest to home for her. As a child, she was close with his granddaughters: “He was kind of like a grandpa to me.”
Carrie says in order to create more tolerance towards immigrants, people need to learn about their histories: “Understand why they’re in America and understand the backstory.”
Anyone who looks at her paintings may assume her gift comes naturally. But as Carrie admits, the learning journey has not always been easy, and has taken countless hours of practice and dedication.
“I almost gave up so many times,” Carrie said.
She leaves us with words of advice for anyone hoping to master a skill: “If you really love something, just keep going.”
Images in order: Frida Kahlo, Rihanna, Carrie alongside Nipsey Hussle portrait, and Tony DeBrum. All photo courtesies go to the artist @care_x0
Jaylinn Reports 