Carol Summers, The Far Side of Time. Woodcut.

A traveler and lover of Mother Earth, Summers was dedicated to exploring the world and experiencing the unique qualities of every place possible. Nothing escaped his eye, from the mountains and rivers to the shrines and monuments, as well as the folk arts, local history, and religious stories. His work is often characterized by vivid color, a certain vibrance and glow that stays in your mind long after the piece has left your sight. His magic lies in finding the specific vibrance of each place, each sky, each tale. He doesn’t simply recreate landscapes – he shares the mood of the space.

Carol Summers, Esperanza. Woodcut.

Carol Summers, Flowering Landscape. Woodcut.

While Summers’ works are always true to his unique style, each piece and period is reflective of a shifted approach, using colors that are characteristic of the time, like the 1980s in Flowering Landscape, or textures that are specific to India’s architecture in Golden Bow & Silver Arrow. At times, Summers explores not just years and locations but also the past, present, and future. In The Far Side of Time, we can imagine walking the red road to the pink sun, towards a distant, joyous future. This is the spirit of Carol Summers: traveling across continents, through time; always on the road, never stagnant; embracing new surprises, the journey always in the making.

Carol Summers, Golden Bow & Silver Arrow. Woodcut.

“Out of my hands roll surprises, history, enigmas–images brown and unknown. They have seeped up through my feet from Mother Earth, or down through fathers and mothers–the compost that connects us to the original creation.” —Carol Summers for The Brooklyn Museum, 1977