Portfolio | Sooner State Artists

Meet 7 painters who make their homes in Oklahoma

This story was featured in the May 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art May 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

ANNE SPOON

What inspires you to create art? The way light can transform an object is wonderfully exciting.
How would you describe your style? It depends on the day and the kind of idea I want to express. I don’t like the idea of being pigeonholed to one style of art—37 years as an oil painter have seen me experiment with all manner of expressions.
How did you first get interested in art? My elementary-school art teacher, Mr. McGuire, helped me draw a well pump. It was amazing watching him draw. Something clicked in me; even though I was just a kid, I knew what I wanted to be.
Where did you study art? I earned a Bachelor of Fine Art from the School of Visual Arts in New York City, but that was just the beginning of a life-long study of art.
What is your creative process like? I tend to have a lot of ideas for paintings floating around in my head at one time. It’s the idea that keeps re-surfacing, being painted in my mind, that gets me excited to begin work. I am also a piddler; I spend a lot of time “fixin’” to start work, getting my paints out, preparing my surface, and so on. This is a very meditative and important step for me.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? Being invited to exhibit alongside Richard Schmid at Talisman Gallery in Bartlesville, OK. I am also very proud of my two solo exhibits, one of which was displayed at the Oklahoma State Capitol.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? My free time is devoted to family, friends, and making memories.
What galleries represent your work? www.annespoon.com.

LARRY CARTER

What inspires you to create art? My heritage as a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma. Native Americans have been creating art since the earliest days on this continent—I feel a kinship with those early storytellers who left their marks in caves and on rocks.
How would you describe your style? My style is abstract for the underpainting, with varying degrees of identifiable shapes worked in as the painting takes shape. I paint almost exclusively with a palette knife and thick oil paints.
How did you first get interested in art? I’ve drawn since my earliest memories. I can’t remember any period of time when I was not exercising creativity in some form.
Where did you study art? I am self-taught through books, videos, and studying great art. Rocky Hawkins, Oleg Stavrowsky, and Fritz Scholder are very influential in my style.
What is your creative process like? I fill the entire canvas with strong colors, trying to create spontaneity and contrast throughout. From there I spend a great deal of time studying it from every orientation, looking for bison, warriors, and eagles in the abstract, like faces in the clouds. Once the “vision” reveals itself, I enhance the subject for others to see.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? Winning first place in the annual University of Oklahoma staff art competition. Being the featured artist for the Oklahoma City Area Indian Health Service Director’s Awards ceremony in 2018 and 2019.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? My wife and I love to travel, hike, fish, and spend time with our two Jack Russell Terrier pups.
What galleries represent your work? Tribes 131 Gallery, Norman, OK; WYLD Gallery, Austin, TX.

RICK McCLURE

What inspires you to create art? My inspiration comes from my love for the outdoors and my fascination with the effects of light on the landscape. Creating a painting that conveys a specific mood or time of day has always been my goal.
How would you describe your style? Somewhat impressionistic, although I do rely on broad, simple passages to engage the viewer without answering all of their visual questions.
How did you first get interested in art? I began drawing as a child and spent many hours at the local library, exploring books on art and painting. By the time I was in high school I was painting in oils, attending local art festivals, and selling my work.
Where did you study art? I graduated from Southwestern Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. I also studied and painted with artist Charles Sovek.
What is your creative process like? My process starts with small plein-air studies and reference photographs. This information is then taken into the studio, where it forms the basis for my larger works.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? Earning Signature membership in both Oil Painters of America and the American Impressionist Society. Also, I’m proud of having my work in the permanent collection of the Governor’s Gallery at the Oklahoma State Capitol.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? I pursue my passion for the game of golf.
What galleries represent your work? Howell Gallery, Oklahoma City, OK; Wells Gallery, Kiawah Island, SC; Bev’s Fine Art, Raleigh, NC; www.rickmcclurefineart.com.

CAROLYN MOCK

What inspires you to create art? The desire to get people to appreciate nature and history, and how important it is that we all help preserve it.
How would you describe your style? Realistic. I paint tight, but I don’t want my work to be photographic. I want my work to still have the look of a painting.
How did you first get interested in art? When I was a kid, I could always draw, and it fascinated me. There was a girl in my fifth-grade class who was taking art lessons, and I wanted to be better than she was.
Where did you study art? I took commercial art classes at Oklahoma State Technical School in Okmulgee. That gave me a strong discipline and got me employed at Phillips Petroleum Company (where I met my husband) and at art agencies. When I could finally do what I’d always wanted to do—wildlife and western art—I took workshops from instructors like Carl Brenders, Robert Bateman, and Terry Isaac.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? One highlight was having a one-woman show at Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve in Bartlesville, OK. Another was getting into RS Hanna Gallery in Fredericksburg, TX. But a big one has to be the people who stand in my booth and cry because they love my work, or the Indian fellow who drove a long distance to bring his grandchildren to see my work because he loved it so much.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? Gardening, reading, and traveling.
What galleries represent your work? RS Hanna Gallery, Fredericksburg, TX; Sunset Ridge Gallery, Pawhuska, OK; www.carolynmockart.com.

GAY FAULKENBERRY

What inspires you to create art? Beauty. It’s there in nature, the landscape, objects in a still life, or an interior.
How would you describe your style? Impressionistic realism.
How did you first get interested in art? I was interested in art from a very early age. Drawing, watercolor, and illustration were prominent in my middle-school and high-school years.
Where did you study art? Southwestern Oklahoma State University and Oklahoma State University.
What is your creative process like? When I’m out painting on location, it’s finding something that I feel a connection to emotionally. It could be as simple as a tree or as complicated as architecture, but it almost always involves the spark of color that stops me.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? A trip to Taos, NM, in 1978 was a major turning point in my career. I was exposed to an art community of landscape painters doing what they loved and what I had always wanted to do as well. That trip inspired me to sign up for two workshops with Sergei Bongart, a great foundation for moving forward with oil painting. Also highlights were becoming a Signature member of Plein-Air Painters of America and a Master Signature member of American Women Artists. Finally, having connections with so many incredible painters and friends that I have been blessed to know over the years.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? Home and interior design—collecting eclectic objects and antiques for my home.
What galleries represent your work? Shaun Horne Gallery, Crested Butte, CO; www.gayfaulkenberry.com.

SHIRLEY QUAID

What inspires you to create art? The emotion on my models’ faces, or the emotion that a scene evokes in my heart.
How would you describe your style? Representational, sometimes with impressionistic influences.
How did you first get interested in art? When I look back on it, I have been interested in art since childhood.
Where did you study art? My serious study of art did not begin until my family was grown and, with my husband’s encouragement, I enrolled in art classes at a local community college. From there, I found live model sessions to paint and draw. Then I sought out artists whose style I admired and took workshops from them, most notably Daniel Gerhartz.
What is your creative process like? I spend days thinking about the image that I want to paint and the emotional impact of that image on potential collectors. The color palette is upmost in my mind as I begin to apply paint to the image I’ve drawn on the canvas. Often I will scrape back areas to reveal layers of color and use the palette knife to accent portions that I want to come forward.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? It has been gratifying to be accepted into national shows and to have gallery representation. I was especially thrilled to be in the Bosque Art Classic last year.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? Most of my time is spent thinking about art, dreaming about art, talking about art, or looking at art magazines and art books. I also enjoy cooking gourmet meals and entertaining.
What galleries represent your work? www.shirleyquaid.com.

DOROTHY WOOLBRIGHT

What inspires you to create art? I am drawn to many genres, but it’s the light, colors, and loose brush strokes that make me excited to create something beautiful.
How would you describe your style? My style is fairly representational.
How did you first get interested in art? I always loved drawing as a child and was encouraged by my fourth-grade teacher to continue. But it wasn’t until later in adulthood that I took a drawing course at a local college and was hooked.
Where did you study art? I attended the Scottsdale Artists’ School over a couple of years to develop a foundation in painting with oils. Along the way I discovered great teachers like Daniel Keys, Kathy Anderson, and many others. I have continued to be influenced by living masters like Richard Schmid and historic painters like Sargent, Sorolla, and Zorn.
What is your creative process like? For small still lifes, once I have figured out the design and composition, I begin direct painting and finish in one or two sessions. For larger formats in both landscape and still life, sometimes I do a small study first.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? Aside from being accepted into shows and winning awards, meeting Richard Schmid has been the most exciting thing ever. But the greatest highlight is watching my oil-painting students grow and learn.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? Spending time with my children, grandchildren (when they are home from school), and great-grandchildren.
What galleries represent your work? Howell Gallery, Oklahoma City, OK; www.dorothywoolbright.com.

This story was featured in the May 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art May 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

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