Best Local Artist

The deep blues, purples and oranges of Carol Carter's acrylic and watercolor paintings are like magnetic-resonance images of their subjects -- a person or scene divulges something of its interior significance, perhaps, by way of her incongruous color choices. Her sugarcane cutters, tropical fish, irises and other subjects of choice all take on an otherworldly glow as the result of these deeper-than-life colors and conjure breezy fantasy moments from science-fiction novels or emotional flights. The South Carolina transplant and Washington University grad maintains studios on Laclede and Washington avenues. At this point her artistic career has really built up steam, thanks in part to her well-visited Web site, www.carol-carter.com, where anyone can view her spectral imaginings. But seeing her paintings in person at one of the shows she periodically mounts at local colleges, galleries and bookstores seals the experience. Many of her works are large scale, and falling into their brilliant hues is a treat.