Laura Gurton
Artist Statement
Resume
The paintings from my Unknown Species Series consist of concentric circular lines and colors that mimic pieces of agate, rings inside of trees, mold, other patterns in nature and most importantly microscopic cells.
My way of applying paint remains constant from painting to painting, and yet, as in nature, great variety is found in the over all work. This variety can be seen in the choice of colors, the relative density of my signature circular forms in different areas of the compositions, and the overall flow of imagery; some paintings seeming tranquil, others highly energized. There are paintings with compositions that are reminiscent of landscapes, reinforcing the theme of nature and the world in which we live.
I see the shapes with their concentric circles as a representative for time itself, displaying their growth like the rings in a tree which come with age as well as seeing the rings of paint in the order I put them down in my studio. The variations of the size of my circles emphasize the growth of these shapes and of all living organisms.
My digital art, the Bits and Pieces Series, developed directly from photographic images of my paintings. I became intrigued with the complex patterns that developed by manipulating the image as well as appreciating being able to see how the same image looks in a variety of color combinations.
I am always surprised and delighted seeing what one of my paintings looks like completely symmetrical. I realized that with the technique I use to paint, it is impossible to create an exact symmetrical composition without the computer. The symmetry of nature is now part of my work: lace,flowers, plants, inside of fruit, snowflakes and even the microscopic world is full of symmetry and incredible detailed patterns. I also found that changing the shape of the rectangle or square canvas on which I had painted gives me the ability to see them in a fresh way as circles and ovals.
The new compositions I create digitally become prints. Sometimes I paint on top of the printed digital work on paper with a variety of mixed media, colored pencils, acrylic gouache, and ink. I sometimes add Swarovski crystals, sequins, and beads creating new one of a kind works of art.
I have also become enamored with using both the photographs of the original paintings and with the digital creations made from them to create videos of my unknown species actually moving. In the past year I have been posting these motion designs to my Instagram account, but soon will be showing them in galleries along with the paintings and mixed media pieces.
The cellular shapes in all my paintings, digital art and videos, echoing naturally occurring shapes, provide the rhythms of life and existence. Ultimately I strive for my work to be an expressive representation of nature’s beauty in its primary elements.
Solo and Two person Exhibitions
2019 Laura Gurton at Facets of Earth, Kingston, NY
2018 Music and Image, Laura Gurton at The Falcon, Marlboro, NY
2018 Full Circle, Art Bar, Kingston, NY
2017 Rejoice in Nature, Lifebridge Foundation, Rosendale, NY
2017 Small Works, Laura Gurton, Edward Hopper House, Nyack, NY
2017 New Works by Laura Gurton, Beacon Short Wave Gallery, Stone Harbor, NJ
2017 Laura Gurton Paintings 2010 - 2017, TheoGanz Studio, Beacon, NY
2016 Laura Gurton with Sydney Cash, TheoGanz Studio, Beacon, NY
2016 Laura Gurton, Small Works, curated by Lenny Kislin, Oriole 9, Woodstock, NY
2016 New Work, Beacon Short Wave Gallery, Stone Harbor, NJ
2016 Laura Gurton, Lake George Courthouse Gallery, Lake George, NY - New York Coun for the Arts
2015 Bits and Pieces, Archival Prints by Laura Gurton, TheoGanz Studio, Beacon, NY
2015 Summer, Beacon Short Wave Gallery, Stone Harbor, NJ
2014 New Work, Bau Gallery, Beacon, NY
2014 Unknown Species, Beacon Short Wave Gallery, Stone Harbor, NJ
2013 Recent Paintings, Van Brunt Projects, Hudson Beach Gallery, Beacon, NY
2012 Laura Gurton, Woodstock Artists Association and Museum, Woodstock, NY
2011 Unknown Species, Laura Gurton at Thaddeus Kwiat Projects, Saugerties, NY
2010 Abstractedly Yours, VanBrunt Gallery, Beacon, NY
2010 Biomorphic Dreams, KMOCA, Kingston Museum of Contemporary Art, Kingston, NY
2009 Laura Gurton, Oriole 9, Woodstock, NY
Curatorial Exhibitions
Oct 2018 Fire in the Belly, Co-curated with Carole Kunstadt, Burnette Gallery, Woodstock, NY
Twenty-six Women Artists working with their female identity.
Nov 2016 PATTERNS, Wired Gallery, High Falls, NY
Seven artists, working with patterns
May 2012 Micromorphic, Byrdcliffe Kleinert, James Center for the Arts,
Woodstock, NY
Six artists, working with microscopic subject matter.
Selected Group Exhibitions
Time Space Existence, 55th Venice Biennale, Personal Structures, Palazzo Bembo. 2013
Procidamerica, Hudson Valley Artists in La Chiesa di S. Margherita, Procida, Italy 2013
Art Southampton, International Contemporary Modern Art Fair, Van Brundt Projects 2013
Velvet Lens, B.B.Contemporary Art, Project Art Space, NYC, NY, 2013
DNA, Edward Williams Gallery, Fairleigh Williams University, 2011
LA Art Show, LA., Ca. 2014
Passage, Fresh Paint Gallery, Culver City, Ca. 2014
Art Miami-Context, Denise Bibro Fine Art, NYC, NY, 2014
ART VENICE BIENNALE 3, Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy 2015
Made in NY 2016, Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, NY, 2016
Far and Wide, 8th Annual Woodstock Reginal Exhibition, Jason Rosenfeld Juror, Woodstock Artists Association and Museum, WAAM 2015
Far and Wide, 9th Annual Woodstock Reginal Exhibition, Bruce Weber Juror, Woodstock Artists Association and Museum, WAAM 2016
Radius 50, WAAM, David A. Ross Juror, Woodstock, NY, 2017
Summer Show, Hal Bromm Gallery NYC, NY, 2017
Climate Change, Facing Hope and Challange, Hebrew Union University - Jewish Institute of Religion Museum, NYC, 2018
Affiliations
Phoenix Crowne http://phoenixcrowne.com
Hal Bromm Gallery, Hal Bromm/Artsy
Fresh Paint Contemporary, Culver City, Ca.
Denise Bibro Fine Art, NYC, NY
WAAM Woodstock Artists Association and Museum, Woodstock, NY
Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild, Woodstock, NY
Hudson Valley Center for Contemorary Art, NY
Edward Hopper House, Nyack, NY
Beacon Short Wave Gallery, Gary Jacketti, Stone Harbor, NJ
Education
1999-2001 Parsons School of Design - Bank Sreet College of Education
Masters in Supervision and Administration in the Arts
1993-1994 School of Visual Arts, NYC, NY, BFA Bachelor Degree of Fine Arts
1970-1973 School of Visual Arts, NYC, Fine Arts
1969-1970 Philadelphia Collage of Art, Phildelphia, Pa,