Carla Byrd

Artist Statement

Born in Thornwood, NY, Carla Byrd was inspired to pursue art by an older cousin, who created beautiful charcoal drawings and oil paintings. In high school, attended an artist program at the local technical school where under Bernard Boffi’s tutelage, she learned about the art world and decided to apply to School of Visual Arts. She attended SVA from 2003-2007, earning a BFA in Illustration. It was there that she met her late husband, self-taught artist, Eddie Byrd. Eddie pushed her to create every day, and introduced her to fellow artists, with whom they participated in group shows in New York City and Brooklyn from 2005-2016. In 2016, their son was born, and Eddie was soon after diagnosed with stage iiib colon cancer. In 2022, Eddie succumbed to a six year battle with cancer, and Carla became a widow. Her work reflects vibrance and beauty, as well as harshness and torment of nature and the human experience.