Critical Reviews

“The artist's palette—almost exclusively the primary colors—adds to the power and underlying tension of her work. The interior works are full of an undercurrent of unrest and interactions between subjects... This is an artist to watch."

—Lakin Ray Cook, Executive Director of the West Virginia Arts Division; Charleston, West Virginia [Tennessee Arts Commission Fellowship Program, 1994]

"Ms. McCarter is an accomplished artist. Her bold compositions, use of perspective and lighting are extremely compelling and effectively draw the viewer into her work."

—Natalie A. Hala, Chief Executive Officer of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation; Oak Park, Illinois [Tennessee Arts Commission Fellowship Program, 1996]

"Ms. McCarter positions the viewer as a voyeur or as an audience member looking onto a stage. She then tells us a story, ones that are often commonplace, yet because they are saturated by a dramatic light source cause us to become nostalgic, empathetic, or longing to be an active part of the scene. In this way she draws us into an aesthetic that gives us a retreat into a questioning of contemporary events that impact our lives."

—Kay Miller, Professor of Art, University of Colorado at Boulder [Tennessee Arts Commission Fellowship Program, 1995]

"This is so much more than a portrait, it's a story about a woman. And she embodies all the qualities I'd have hoped to have developed through this long-term growing up process. I see a woman not young or old, strong, vibrant, sensitive yet, earthy, serene, bathed in light. This painting is a tribute to both you and me, I think. It is your poem about me, and a gorgeous demonstration of your insight, perception, and painterly skill."

—Andrea Woods, Jackson, TN [Commissioned Work review, 1993]

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