We were lucky to catch up with Cara Baxter recently and have shared our conversation below.
Cara, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
Art is at its best when it inspires hope. The optimism at the core of my paintings stems from my lifelong love of fantasy. My narrative paintings explore a fantasy realm that I call the flooded world, loosely inspired by my home on the expansive floodplains of East Texas. Using the imagery of high water to capture a moment of disrupted reality, my paintings respond to anxieties surrounding climate change and personal isolation. My characters’ journey through the flood traces a path inward, harnessing the language of fantasy to access the innermost pulses of joy that fuel the imagination even in crisis, like a buoy afloat on rising waters. Fantasy cries out to the souls of its audience, sparking introspection and imagination—in this way, fantasy is the bridge connecting brutal human truths to the dream of a better future.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My drawings and paintings explore the psychology of change through the lens of fantasy. This month, I will graduate with my MFA from Laguna College of Art + Design and will soon relocate to a studio in Texas, where I hope to paint more of the flooded world, fill sketchbooks, and support my fellow artists in this uncertain world. I am addicted to sketching, and regularly share my work on social media where you can find me as @carabaxter_art.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I see my creative process as a flame–bright yet volatile, periodically flaring up to a raging inferno of productivity before collapsing into embers, in need of tending again. Daily sketching is my way of tending to the hearth, stoking the embers to build up the flame. Carving out a little time every day for observational sketching helped me train my eye and hand, staving off long periods of inactivity due to art block. I know myself to be a creature of habit, so integrating daily drawing into my routine completely transformed my life for the better.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
I owe it all to my dream team which consists of my mentor, Lani Emanuel, and my advisor, Ananda Fetherston. Artists walk a path fraught with uncertainty, rejection, and doubt, but these two kept me going for the past two years as I developed my thesis. I will forever be grateful for their kind words and the brilliant example they set.
Contact Info:
- Website: cbaxterportfolio.com
- Instagram: @carabaxter_art
- Twitter: @carabaxter_art
