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SALUDA–Saluda Library is currently featuring the work of artist Carrie Jensen. 

Visitors can stop by the library through June 15 to view and purchase her artwork during regular business hours. Saluda Library is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Carrie Jensen is from the mountains of northeast Georgia and spent the formative years of her life on, in, or near the wild and scenic Chattooga River on the Georgia/South Carolina border. Her paintings of the Chattooga and other favorite Appalachian rivers use expressive color and brush strokes to communicate the experiences and feelings Carrie associates with each rapid, swimming hole, or put-in. 

In her work, Carrie is interested in exploring the feeling of “belonging” in natural spaces. Landscapes have an objective set of characteristics like terrain and vegetation, but people can have markedly different experiences in the same place and, thus, may all love a landscape but for different reasons. As a result, the way one person sees a place is not necessarily the way others do, which can often be exclusionary. When Carrie began painting, she felt a need to modify the resemblance of the landscapes in her work because she was not convinced she necessarily “belonged” in the real ones. Through painting, Carrie discovered a way to forever belong to the rivers she loves. She warmly welcomes fellow art lovers to belong in these lovely and wondrous spaces as well. 

Carrie currently lives in Candler, North Carolina and paints whenever she has time between her job as an art teacher and her many hobbies, including running, gardening, and hanging out with her cat, Charlie. She continues to experience Appalachian rivers every chance she gets.

If you are interested in having your art displayed at Saluda Library, review the Displays & Exhibits Policy at polklibrary.org/policies and contact Saluda Library Manager Bob McCall at 828-894-8721 x294 or bmccall@polklibrary.org.