Meet Carrie Raleigh
From an early age, Ms. Raleigh has enjoyed drawing and creating. Growing up in Southern California, she loved to explore the magic of the world around her, whether by being out in nature, going to Disneyland or collaborating on pretend stories with her older sister. She has a life long fascination with the unknown and unexplained. Exploring supposedly haunted places or seeking out unique spots has been a long time passion. She spent time working in the field of Environmental Education and currently teaches Art in Redlands, Calfornia. The Cryptids of California project is her love letter to the unique darkened corners of her home state.
Follow Carrie Raleigh on Instagram @art_with_carrie_raleigh
The artist and her sister in the 1980s
The Origin of Cryptids of California: Beyond Bigfoot
In the late 1900s in Laguna Niguel, California two young sisters played in the front yard outside of their modest stucco home. Located mere miles from the Pacific Ocean, Laguna Niguel was quickly growing into one of the most desired locations to reside in southern California. The neighbourhood was surrounded by undeveloped rolling hills and bright sunny skies. Wildlife such as tarantulas, rattlesnakes, or field mice often found their way into the same yard where these girls played. But on this day another kind of creature made an appearance. The older sister paused in her play and stood frozen looking up at a nearby hill. The younger sister turned her gaze to see what had caught the attention of her beloved older sister.
“Do you see that?” The older sister asked.
“Is that a horse with wings?” The younger sister replied. The sisters stood, unmoving, as they both took in the strange view of a pegasus-like creature unfurling its wings in the distance. The sisters turned to look at each other, confused and astounded by what they saw. When they looked back to the hills, the creature was gone. Was this experience the product of the overactive imaginations of pre-internet youth? Was the younger sister simply convinced she had seen something unusual by her storytelling older sister who knew the younger one would blindly believe anything her sister told her over her own eyes?
Over the years, the sisters rarely spoke of the sighting.
Years later, the older sister would go on to become a successful author writing historical fiction tinged with paranormal. One of her books, Odd and True, is based on a pair of monster hunting sisters who chase legends of unknown creatures. The elusive Jersey Devil from the Pine Barrens area of New Jersey features heavily in Cat Winters’ Odd and True. The book also includes a description of a field guide to the various Cryptids found in the United States.
The younger sister would follow in her older sister's footsteps by creating a Final Master Project focused on the same legendary and imaginative creatures mentioned in her sister’s novel.