Carol Gallion

As an only child growing up in a small Missouri town, I occupied myself with drawing and painting, an occupation that would keep me interested to the present time. Over the years I’ve lived in places like Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Manama, Bahrain and Subic Bay, Philippines, not to mention a dozen or more states. Each place provided the opportunity to meet interesting people and have new and exciting adventures. They also added to the narrative that I would draw on for my future artistic endeavors.

While living in Lincoln, NE I finally had the opportunity to formalize my art training by attending  the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I pretty much took up residence in the art department, taking as many art classes as I could manage while slipping in a few other classes such as art history and etc. Upon leaving the university I joined the Burkholder Project, a group of independent artists with private studios but often working in collaboration with each other. We had monthly shows and receptions and I learned a lot about the nuts and bolts of being  an artist from the friends I made there. I will always be grateful for their friendship, help and support during those days.

In November of 2000 we moved to Florida where I have participated in a variety of artist groups and continue to paint full time. I have been a member of the Florida Watercolor Society since 2007 and have gained my Signature status with that organization. 

 Street Music, Watercolor on paper, 24.5 x 30”

Street Music began with a photo I took while standing in the middle of Times Square — caught in that familiar mix of motion, noise, and light. I was surrounded by yellow taxis, bright billboards shouting over one another, and people from every direction, all moving to their own rhythm. Even in the chaos, there was something oddly musical about it — layered, dynamic, and alive.

That is the feeling I wanted to capture with watercolor. The medium lets things blur and bleed, like the way sound echoes off buildings or how moments overlap in a crowd. I painted the billboards as loud characters in their own right — each one a piece of the city’s constant performance. Some are timeless, some fleeting, but together they form a kind of visual symphony.

I placed the street musician front and center because he felt like the heart of it all — one clear voice carving out space in the noise. He is why I titled the piece Street Music. To me, Times Square doesn’t just look like something — it sounds like something. And in that sound, there’s rhythm, energy, and the pulse of the city I wanted to share.  

FL

United States