Carmen Schaar-Walden was born on March 9, 1966, in San Diego, California as the sixth of seven children. Excelling in art at a young age, Carmen graduated from San Diego State University with B.A. in Applied Art with an Emphasis in Painting. She later lived in Riverside, California; Maple Valley, Washington; Cheyenne, Wyoming and currently lives and works in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Experiencing America from these different perspectives made Carmen appreciate America’s diverse landscape and wildlife. She began taking cross-country road trips while in college, sketching and photographing what would be the start of Carmen’s creative process and the current focus of her art work. Carmen prefers the flexibility of acrylic paint as her primary medium but additionally works in oil and watercolor. Carmen is influenced by Post-Impressionism and California Impressionism. Artist Statement Born and raised in San Diego, California, I only knew the United States from the most southwestern point of view. I never even visited another state until I was in college. When I got the opportunity to finally travel (by car) across the country my eyes were mesmerized by our country’s expansive and diverse scenery and wildlife. Now living in a so-called fly-over state, I am so grateful to be centrally located and can branch out and explore our country in every direction. My exhibited works are a snapshot of these explorations and hope these images from different parts of the country can bring us closer together. I see natural beauty all around me. Not only the grand landscapes and seascapes I have been privileged to experience but also the little treasures I pass by every day. I call some of these treasures my ‘nature portraits’, usually isolating them against the sky or neutral back drops. I think it is important to appreciate these visual treasures, as they remind us that we have a duty to preserve and protect them for future generations. I find myself drawn to visual patterns and rhythms, as well as how nature can mimic human emotions and expressions. My recent artwork focuses on non-traditional vantage points and compositions. CSWFineArt.com Awards:"First Place Acrylic Award", 2024 Alpha Rho Tau Member Show, Broken Arrow, OK., November 2024 ("Blue Crab Special")"Third Place Acrylic Award", 2024 Alpha Rho Tau Member Show, Broken Arrow, OK., November 2024 ("A Bright Spot")"Outstanding Acrylic Award" in the BoldBrush Art Contest & Exhibit, November 2023 ("Branching Out")"Best of Show" and "First Place Acrylic Category" at the Alpha Rho Tau Art Exhibition at Arts@302 Gallery, Broken Arrow, OK, ("In the Balance"), November/2023"Second Place Acrylic Award" at the 2023 National Fine Art Show, Lincoln Gallery in Loveland, CO, ("Branching Out"), May-June/2023Won an "Outstanding Acrylic Award" in the BoldBrush Art Contest & Exhibit, January 2023 ("Blue Crab Special") First Place Acrylic Category, Bartlesville Art Association 70th Annual Art Show, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, August/2022 ("Blue Crab Special")Second Place Watercolor Category, Alpha Rho Tau - June 2022 Art Show at The Hive Gallery, Jenks Oklahoma, June/2022("Tied Up")Honorable Mention Acrylic Category, Alpha Rho Tau - June 2022 Art Show at The Hive Gallery, Jenks Oklahoma, June/2022("Desert Shadows Panorama")Acrylic Award, Bartlesville Art Association Annual Spring Art Show, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, May/2021 ("Encountered")Acrylic Award, Bartlesville Art Association Annual Spring Art Show, Bartlesville, Oklahoma for “Here, There and Everywhere”, May/2019First Place Acrylic Category, National Greeley Art Exhibition and Sale (NGAE), Greeley, Colorado, April/2018 -nationally juried show ("Here, There and Everywhere")Second Place Acrylic Category, National Greeley Art Exhibition and Sale (NGAE), Greeley, Colorado, April/2018 - nationally juried show ("When I'm 64") Affiliations:Alpha Rho Tau (ART) Civic Art Association, June 2019 - present National Oil and Acrylic Society, Associate Member, January 2023 - presentTulsa Artists Guild (TAG) January 2016 – present