Exhibitions and Events
painted most of her life and minored in art at LSU. She is mostly self-taught though over the years she attended workshops and experimented with various artistic styles. At first, her life went in a different direction. After graduating from college in 1977, marriage and jobs took her and her husband, Jim, first to Florida, back to Baton Rouge, then to northwest Louisiana where Jim worked for FedEx. His company later transferred him to Oklahoma. Both commuted to nearby Fort Smith, Arkansas, where she worked in a post office. By 1998, Hallock had developed tendonitis in her arms and hands, making it difficult to work. She quit her job to follow her dreams — making a living as an artist and returning to Louisiana to be near her parents. She thought her paintings would sell right away, but they didn’t. She soon learned that success comes with hard work, sound self-marketing and by developing painting skills that would enable her to express herself through her art. “There are no higher highs than an art career, and in the early days no lower lows,” says Hallock. “But successes build upon themselves and gradually the successes grow and add confidence to move forward.” Hallock, who now gives workshops, has come a long way since launching her art career. In addition to various grants, awards and commissions, her paintings have appeared in regional and national magazines, on public TV as well as in the 2014 film “The Best of Me” and short-lived Amazon TV series “One Mississippi.” She also has published three books about her work, all titled “Bayou Impressions,” and how-to videos called “Loose Painting” that she says airs on TV stations across the United States and in South Africa. Aside from her skilled marketing efforts, Hallock paints because it is the most visible way to express her emotions and respond to the world around her. “I try to create a mood that I hope viewers feel,” she says. “I try to paint what grabs your heart. When I finish a painting and it hits that ‘awe’ button in me, I hope people feel the same. I want people to say, ‘Oh, my God’ when they see my paintings, but I’m not there yet.” For more information about Hallock, visit carolhallock.com. n
22 Louisiana Life july/august 2018
july 12 - Oct. 13
Monroe
“55th Annual Juried Competition.” Juried exhibition features the artwork of contemporary artists from across the U.S., working in a variety of media. Masur Museum of Art. 1400 South Grand St., 318-329-2237, masurmuseum.org Through Sept. 16
Baton Rouge “Capitol City Contemporary 4: Food, Glorious Food” Exhibit honors local and regional artists who are contributing to the vitality of the city and state’s current art scene. CCC4 focuses on the growing aesthetic surrounding food photography. The Louisiana Art & Science Museum. 100 River Road South, 225344-5272, lasm.org Through Dec. 29
Lafayette “A. Hays Town and The Architectural Image of Louisiana.” The exhibit focuses on the noted Louisiana architect A. Hays Towns’ residential designs and showcases the evolution of Town’s work from the Modernist designs to his later iconic residences inspired by the historic architecture of the American South. Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum. Through Dec. 31
New Orleans “Orientalism: Taking and Making.” Artworks taken from NOMA’s collection explores oppression, racism and superficial cultural concepts as portrayed in 19th century Orientalist paintings, photographs and decorative arts. New Orleans Museum of Art. One Collins C. Diboll Circle, 504-6584100, noma.org