RUTH CARROLL

BIO

Ruth Carroll was born in Turlock, California in 1954 and is a fifth generation Californian. Her family included some of the early pioneers that settled in the Fruitvale district of Oakland, California in 1856.

Ruth earned her B.F.A. in drawing from California College of the Arts (CCA) in Oakland, CA in 1987. She believes that a strong foundation in drawing is essential to painting well. In the years spent raising her three children, Ruth painted and sculpted commercial artwork for the amusement park industry and worked on her fine art when she could. For 22 years, she worked part-time as a dental hygienist in Santa Cruz, CA, which allowed her the time and means to build her body of work.

For over the past 20 years, Ruth has shown and sold her work through juried exhibitions, open studios and local art galleries in the Monterey Bay area. She is committed to paint what inspires her emotionally and spiritually. Favorite subjects include landscape, still life and figurative works. Her creative energy is spent painting in plein air and in her studios. She is inspired by her love of the landscape in dramatic light situations and since 2009, has been primarily a landscape painter in oil.

Painting is now Ruth’s full time profession and it has always been her passion. Ruth lives and paints in Watsonville, CA and Bend, OR. She currently paints both California and Oregon landscapes. Artist memberships include Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters Association, Plein Air Painters of Oregon, California Art Club, Pajaro Valley Arts. and The Carmel Art Association. She has taken workshops with Kathleen Dunphy, Barbara Jaenicke and Scott Burdick, among others.