Laura Smith NEAC aims to elevate the ordinary things around us and imbue them with significance.
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ARTIST'S STATEMENT
“Still life allows me the greatest freedom to express my emotions. The placement, manipulation and gesture of the objects, as well as how they interact with one another, is a big driving force for me. The objects become anthropomorphic as they relate to each other and the spaces I create for them. I reach towards both peopled narratives and abstraction, knowing that the way I depict an object can dissolve its familiarity. I love the word theatrical used in relation to my painting. To me, a theatre is somewhere that transports the audience to a semi-fantastical world where the props are transformed into real, magical objects. For example, a simple hoop might become a portal, or a chair a carriage. In my paintings, I aim to elevate the ordinary things around us and imbue them with significance.”
WORKING METHOD
“Oil paint is my primary medium and I like to work directly from a still life set-up in the studio. I often make a series of paintings from overlapping sections of a large arrangement. Recently, I have been building my set-ups in a gazebo, which allows me to control the light falling across the objects. I am wanting to arrive at the most dynamic and intense picture I can make with the kind of emphasis that comes from deep conviction.“