Today we’d like to introduce you to Carri Degenhardt.
Hi Carri, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I settled down in Jersey City over 25 years ago and operated a Wall Street recruiting firm (Degenhardt Consulting) for 23 years where my art studio and gallery are now located. I was also a columnist for a Wall Street trade rag name On Wall Street Magazine for a decade or so. That said I always was painting on the side and decided to give it a go on a professional level. In 2024 I founded Carri Louise Gallery and boutique, as well as City Swipes Fluid Art Studio. In essence, Ive gone from closing multi million dollar deals with wall street’s finest minds to juried art shows and markets to teaching in the studio and private events.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, this is definitely not a smooth road. There are small business struggles all the time. You have to wear 20 different hats each day and keep going even when you just don’t want to. It’s been a very challenging time to start a business in this area. Jersey City is a prosperous place and yet it remains a bedroom community to NYC. The funny thing is I have more people coming here from NYC than i do in Jersey City!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a mixed-media artist and founder of City Swipes Art Gallery & Fluid Art Experience in Jersey City. Before becoming a full-time artist, I spent more than two decades on Wall Street as the founder of a retained executive search firm, building businesses, advising leaders, and helping shape billion-dollar organizations. That experience profoundly influences my artwork today—I’m fascinated by ambition, identity, transformation, and the stories we tell about ourselves.
I specialize in contemporary narrative and mixed-media works that blend realism, symbolism, texture, and theatrical presentation. My signature series, Modern Allegories, features animals emerging from curtains, portals, and symbolic environments. These works explore themes of courage, reinvention, leadership, perception, and the masks we wear in modern life. Whether it’s a zebra stepping onto a stage, a bull emerging from ancient ruins, or a lion standing quietly among symbols of power, each piece invites viewers to find their own meaning.
What I’m most proud of is creating work that sparks conversation and emotional connection. I’ve had collectors spend long periods standing in front of a piece, discovering new details and interpretations each time they look. Those moments remind me that art can be both visually compelling and deeply personal.
What sets me apart is the combination of my professional background, storytelling approach, and technical process. I bring a strategist’s mindset to art-making while embracing experimentation with texture, metallic leaf, resin, pigments, glow effects, and layered symbolism. My work often sits at the intersection of fine art, narrative, and contemporary culture—accessible enough to draw people in, yet layered enough to reward repeated viewing.
Today my work can be found in galleries, exhibitions, private collections, and public installations throughout the region. Recent highlights include being featured on NBC New York’s New York Live, participating in juried exhibitions, and being selected for the FIFA World Cup-related Global Canvas initiative at American Dream. Yet what excites me most is continuing to build a body of work that encourages people to step through their own thresholds, embrace possibility, and see familiar stories in a new way.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is that authenticity is more valuable than trying to fit into someone else’s definition of success.
For years, I built companies and careers in the corporate world, where results, strategy, and achievement were everything. When I transitioned into art, I initially worried about fitting into the “art world” and whether my work belonged. Over time, I realized that the pieces people respond to most are the ones that are unmistakably my own—works that combine storytelling, symbolism, texture, and my unique perspective shaped by both business and creativity.
I’ve learned that success doesn’t come from chasing trends; it comes from creating work that is honest, memorable, and meaningful. Whether in business or art, people connect with authenticity. The moment I stopped trying to fit into a box and started fully embracing my own voice was the moment my work began to resonate most deeply with others.
That lesson continues to guide everything I create today.
Contact Info:
- Website: Https://www.carridegenhardtburke.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com@cityswipes
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carrilouise
- LinkedIn: https://LinkedIn.com/carridegenhardtburke
