Laura Hallen

My art is a direct response to my experiences in nature, whether it be a weed poking through concrete or a cucumber that I grew from seed; I find I am motivated by the sheer force and resiliency displayed in the environment. In my art, I focus on the perpetual interplay of decadence and death that occurs in our biosphere on a cellular level. With a microscopic view, I aim to mimic intricate patterns of plant life and break down the imagery into abstract forms through a variety of media in my photo-plexibox paintings. I am constantly and strategically reinventing my process like an evolving puzzle. The three-dimensional construction of my paintings combined with my photography has a unique appearance, with many layers of depth and texture. The isolated forms in my paintings sits on top of the plexibox, but still emerge from the patterns found in the photo in the background. I am fascinated with layering imagery, thinking sculpturally about my paintings, and pushing two-dimensional art beyond its limits.

I am aware of the irony behind my paintings in that I paint organic imagery, but use manufactured, recycled and inorganic materials to achieve the outcome. This effect gives character to the subjects beyond their organic existence as plant and other natural forms; much like plastic renditions of nature. The pieces are not just silky, illusory interpretations of nature carried to a sensual extreme. They are tragically intimate, luminescent with tension and represent the many phases of life; the dramas, conflict and transformations that I experience. The universe is in a constant state of change. As I observe those ever-shifting patterns, I attempt to align my life and art with the forces of nature; through that process I discover my placement in the world as a human and an artist.