The heroic art of Kyle Carroll
If a roomful of people were asked how they know Kyle Carroll, the answers would be as varied as the respondents. As a former Missouri Department of Conservation agent, retired Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper, Dekalb County commissioner, United Electric Cooperative advisory committee member, radio broadcaster, outdoor columnist and pioneer reenactor, Kyle is widely known. There are a lot of moving pieces in Kyle’s world, most of all his family, especially eight grandchildren.
He might be best known, however, for his painted pieces, which are inspired by history and nature.
“I like to paint the heroic aspect of our history. Life on the frontier was much harsher than anything we experience today. Day-to-day life was hard whether you were a Native American, a trapper, or a homemaker on the edge of civilization,” Kyle says. “The unspoiled wilderness is another thing I try to recreate in some small way as well.”
Kyle’s love of drawing and painting began at Penney High School in Hamilton. Inspired by MDC artist Charles Schwartz, Kyle remembers visiting Jefferson City on a school trip and seeing the famed artist at work through an office window. Aspiring likewise to make a career of sketching and painting wildlife, Kyle declared an art major in college. Realizing most agencies hired a single artist, he changed his field of study to biology. But art and science go hand in hand for Kyle. “Most of my wildlife pieces are just aimed at sharing something of beauty in nature with the viewer,” he adds.
Rounding out Kyle’s love of art and wildlife biology is an appreciation for American history. Reenactment is a natural extension of his passion for historical accuracy and research. Appearing in a number of History Channel series as well as in the Mel Gibson film, “The Patriot,” Kyle focuses on authenticity of detail, whether he is creating costume accessories or a Western painting.
“I concentrate on the fur trade era from about 1800 to 1840, but I’ve painted early 18th century pieces and commissioned a World War II piece, so I just say I do historical art,” Kyle says. “I like the everyday American, the common people who achieved uncommon things.”
Each of his pursuits and pastimes informs his artwork, the style of which he refers to as “painterly realism.” Sketches that take a matter of hours and oils that require upward of weeks or months begin with research. As few original photographs exist of many of his historical subjects and none for such topics as the French and Indian War, Kyle relies on books for the most minute details.
One of his first large-scale paintings of bison, done in acrylic, is accurate down to the depiction of native flora and fauna indigenous to a time and place. When his adult children were younger, they delighted in having the opportunity to paint a single leaf in a forest of trees in each of his majestic landscapes.
Every painting begins with the painstaking process of photo editing a landscape image with historically accurate props or figures before a brushstroke is ever made. Kyle composes the painting from original photographs, combining reenactment images of horses and period riders with those of sweeping landscapes. Kyle most often works in oils, which he notes is a historical medium that will be around a long time after the artist completes the painting.
“It takes as long as it takes,” he adds. “Maybe two weeks under normal time constraints. Sometimes longer.”
Much of Kyle’s finished work is exhibited in Cherry’s Art Emporium in Carthage and Lord Nelson’s Gallery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Several private owners of Kyle’s paintings have become his friends, as well as collectors, due to a shared interest in American history.
Equal to his love of the past is his concern for the present and his hopes for the future. This is why Kyle serves on an advisory board for United Electric Cooperative. Kyle is fascinated with learning where our energy comes from and wants to help make certain of its reliability and affordability, especially to his rural neighbors.
In addition to some of his original pieces, Kyle and Sharon exhibit the work of local artists, most notably that of grandchildren Blythe, Becks, Nan, Sloan, Caroline, Lydia, Ellie, and Wes, in their rural Dekalb County home just outside Maysville.
These construction paper and crayon creations — which might include a feather from one of their days spent exploring in the woods — often reflect a shared appreciation for nature and take pride of place alongside Papa’s framed oil paintings.
To see more of Kyle Carroll’s art visit www.kylecarrollart.com.
Fagan is a freelance writer from Cameron.