Carla Sutton’s love of art began in high school, and it was an art teacher who strongly encouraged her parents to make arrangements for her to study further after graduation. Additionally, Sutton’s father instilled an interest in and love of nature, which also played a role in the direction she’s taken with her career. Carla graduated from Kendall School of Design's Illustration program, and her subsequent work as an illustrator and graphic artist laid the foundation for her now full-time focus on fine art. Her influences are primarily American painters from around the turn of the last century, particularly California-based painters, including Edgar Payne, William Wendt, Alson Clark, and many, many others.

Carla Sutton’s interest has been and continues to be, landscapes. She was born and raised in West Michigan and splits her time between Saugatuck and Northport, Michigan. When she interprets a scene, nuances are revealed that bring us back again and again to relive the moment. Shapes, color, and light all help to create a mood. She presents both the every day and the iconic in such a manner that the viewer experienced the images in a new way. Her goal is that the paintings will remind the viewer of our deep connection to the landscape, nature, and the sense that we can still find serenity in our increasingly fast-paced world. From the scenic coast of California to the Michigan shores with its Lake Michigan vistas, there's plenty of awe-inspiring material for Sutton’s stunning paintings.

Artist Statement:

There's just something about the west coast, be that California's coastline or Michigan's. I was born and raised in West Michigan, and while in the state we split our time between Saugatuck and Northport. As a girl, family trips up to Glen Lake helped create what has been an ongoing emotional connection to the Leelanau peninsula and all along Lake Michigan. If you've lived in or even visited the beautiful western shore regions of Michigan you can understand why they have been the focus of so many of my landscape paintings since the mid-’90s. For some time now I've been painting California scenes. Both my heart and soul and time, are split between Michigan and California, both of which I love. I've been visiting California since I was a girl and I'll continue to spend time in my favorite areas out west and produce paintings from these visits.

There's a heightened sense of drama in the California landscape, with its rugged coastline and mountain ranges. These provide the perfect counterpoint to the softer beauty of Michigan's coastline and hills. Painting each is a challenge I enjoy. My travels have taken me all along the California coast, from San Diego and Coronado Island, La Jolla, Laguna Beach, the Palos Verde peninsula, and up the coast to Santa Barbara, the bluffs along Cambria, through Big Sur to Carmel and the wonderful Pointe Lobos State Reserve, the Monterey Peninsula, up to San Francisco and Sausalito, the Point Reyes National Seashore, and wine country as well.

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