Born in 1979 West Virginia, Mary Carroll (formerly Chiaramonte) was raised helping her family live from and farm their land in an isolated area. She had no TV or other distractions, and was encouraged to entertain herself with objects in nature. Left with the workings of her imagination and observations of the world around her, she translated her understanding into paintings. She continues this practice today, taking much of her momentum from the people that surround and affect her. Hanging between darkness and light, Carroll’s figurative realism offers a narrative that echoes a provocative daydream, communicating both the human disposition and the mysteries therein. Her unending exploration surfaces in her paintings with an ambiguity that asks the viewer to wonder at our world as she does.Carroll is currently represented by Abend Gallery in Denver, CO. A 2010 Master of Fine Arts graduate, Carroll received the Best Graduate Thesis award from Radford University. Her work has been in numerous group exhibitions and collections throughout the U.S. and Europe. Her paintings have been published in American Art Collector, Fine Art Connoisseur, American Artist Magazine, and PoetsArtists Magazine as well as the New York Times. She has also been the recipient of awards from the Portrait Society of America (2016) and the International ARC Salon competition (2018). Carroll lives and works in Richmond, Virginia.