Carney first began drawing with ball point pen in the seventh grade, however his art teacher told him that it was a poor medium, considering that it was difficult to reproduce and there was no variation of line. Carney knew the teacher was probably right, but the rebellious teenage boy stuck with the ball point pen, and almost four decades later it is still his favorite drawing and sketching medium.
The combination of his lifelong fascination of nature with and his unique impressionist and expressionist style was first debuted at the 2009 Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston, SC. He was also presented with the David Cook Drawing Award at the National Exhibition of Wildlife Art in Liverpool, England.