In 1999 when Carol moved to  Scottsdale, Arizona she began a love affair with sculpting at the Scottsdale Artist's School. She is still moved by the romantic stories woven into the work of Italian Master Bruno Lucchesi .Studies continued at the Loveland Academy in Loveland, Colorado and the Richard Macdonald Master Workshop in California. She focused on anamalia, bas relief, figure, painting, creativity, forensic anatomy, and casting.

Upon relocation to Bainbridge Island, Washington Carol participated in the island art walks, Loveland Invitational in Colorado, and various Arizona shows.

In 2003, Carol Ruff Franza created a portrait bust of Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, the first Republican to fill the office of Governor of Georgia since the reconstruction. Franza was commissioned to create a monument to mark the decade anniversary of Desert Mountain High School. This bronze sculpture stands proudly guarding in the courtyard between the Palomino Library and the school in Scottsdale Arizona.

A striking pair of massive flowing wings exceeding 40" tall and 36" wide hangs in the Salon Krush in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In 2005, Southwest Art Magazine named Carol as an Artist to Watch in the annual sculpture edition.