When you walk in many of the co-ops and tack stores in Mississippi it would not be surprising to see an intriguing pencil drawing that looked like it was taken directly from a horse show scene or a pastel or oil painting that draws your mind and heart into it giving you a relaxing and peaceful feeling. If given a closer look the small print name at the bottom of this magnificent piece of art would read Carol Roark

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Carol Roark has proven herself to be a very talented and versatile artist her beautiful oil paintings, pastels, pencil, and colored pencil artwork is a must have for any equine enthusiast. She has displayed some of her artwork at several different galleries such as the Tompkins Group Gallery in Glucksadt , MS , Na’Ann’s Oxford Frame Gallery, Oxford , MS , and the “An Affair of the Heart” collection. Furthermore she does exquisite commission artwork for some of the leading horse farms all over the country. One of her most beautiful pieces was the portrait of the quarter horse “You Bet I’m Good” commissioned by Sands Quarter Horses in Rolla Montana . Her success has enabled her opportunity to paint such magnificent horses as Zippo Pine Bar, Rugged Lark, and Hollywood Dun It. Her artwork has been displayed in many famous publications such as Rugged Larks Biography-Americas Horse, two magazines including The Chronicle of the Horse and Performance Horseman. Another privilege she has been blessed with is being the official artist for the Dixie National Quarter Horse Show since 1995 which brings out some of the top horses, trainers, and exhibitors in the Quarter Horse industry.

Her whole life Carol grew up loving horses and decided that she would pursue her passion by attending Wood College and getting her degree in Equine Management. However after graduation she could not find the funds to attend an out-of –state university therefore art became her next career focus. She then attended Mississippi State University for a degree in Graphic Design but her real passion in art was for painting, especially if the subject was horses. From there her career grew to be as successful as it is today.

When Carol is not painting which is rare she can be found on her horse farm in the Mississippi Delta spending time with her husband and two daughters or practicing for her next hunter jumper competition on her handsome dapple gray quarter horse gelding Kevin. Carol though always busy continues to remain active in American Quarter Horse Association competitions.