Based out of Christoval, Texas, Debbie Carroll’s work is about expressing the region she calls home. When describing what drives her work, she says that “my home and inspiration is the West and Southwest regions of the United States.” She aims to draw out the intrinsic beauty of the ordinary, elevating the subjects in her work to reveal what is familiar and usually overlooked. The subject of this piece, the church of San Francisco de Asís in Ranchos de Taos, was chosen as an example of how “Taos has endured over the many decades and stands as a cultural and historic treasure and reminder of times past.” A turning point in her career was working with Taos painter and potter Stephen Kilborn, where she had a breakthrough and was able to step away from realism and turn to different forms of expression. Carroll, graphic in style, leans on her early love of drawing and design. Her hard work and persistence at the easel are made evident through her catchphrase, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

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Carroll writes of Enduring, “I chose the church [of San Francisco de Asís] in Ranchos de Taos as an example of how Taos has endured over the many decades and stands as a cultural and historic treasure and reminder of times past.”