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dbryce@journalnet.com

MINK CREEK -- From her kitchen table, artist Sarah Faye Carney has a panoramic view of Scout Mountain and the trails of Mink Creek.

From her vantage point, Carney sips coffee and studies the light and the landscape.

"Every day I get a different view of Scout Mountain," she said.

Carney shares the rustic home with a handful of speckled chickens, a Siamese cat and a large, hairy, friendly dog named Kate.

She lived in Pocatello 30 years ago and then moved to Colorado where she eventually earned a degree in elementary education and studied art at Metro State College in Denver.

Carney, who uses oil paint to capture land and seascapes, still life and portraits, returned to Southeast Idaho in 2005 and settled in Lava Hot Springs.

"Then I got lonely," she said. "I needed more socialization, so I came to Pocatello."

After renting a house on Mink Creek Road, Carney started painting.

Her work illustrates the rugged and majestic terrain found in the area and includes autumn scenes from Oneida County, well-beaten paths in Buckskin Canyon and a number of views of Scout Mountain.

"For me as an artist, it's paradise," she said. "Every day is well spent."

Now retired, Carney said she likes change and views it as a new adventure.

After moving to the Gate City area, she also got involved with the Pocatello Art Center, where she said other artists warmly greeted her arrival the community.

"The best part of coming to Pocatello has been the Art Center," Carney said. "They welcomed me with open arms and I found a teacher with Karen Wardle."

Carney paints twice a week: once at the center located on Main Street and once with Wardle, another local artist.

Her paintings have been displayed at the annual Sagebrush Art Festival. She's also shown them at events connected to the Pocatello Art Center, including the annual exhibit at Century High School.

While Carney has worked with other media, she still prefers oil paints.

"I love the richness," she said.

In the living room of her well-lit home -- a comfortable collection of antique cabinets, a large buffalo head and easels displaying artworks still in progress -- all chairs are positioned to face out of the window. Two large paintings of horses face each other on opposite walls.

"I love movement," she said. "If you can use oils to show clouds moving, that is an accomplishment."

Carney has two sons and one granddaughter.

When she's not painting, she's most likely looking for scenes to paint.

"Sometimes I see something, and I just have to stop and paint it," she said.

Her paintings start at about $500 and Carney also accepts commissions to works from favorite photographs.

Carney will teach an art class at the Pocatello Art Center in January.

"I'm having a blast," she said. "I'm so happy that the Pocatello art community extended a hand to me."

By Debbie Bryce

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