Laura Waller: Close In
Artist Statement
My work as a studio painter is focused on capturing the ordinary and the commonplace which often escape the eye – unnoticed or underappreciated. Coming from a working-class family, I am interested in the work environment and architectural elements I find there, which range from vessels in shipyards and ports, equipment and buildings at an industrial site, and urban scenes involving cranes and skyscrapers.
In addition, the subject matter for my paintings ranges from the massive to the minuscule and is found close to home or during my travels. I find power in unusual perspectives and angles that might stir the viewer’s sense of order. I see beauty in the time-worn surfaces of a ship, an historic landmark, a person showing evidence of age or individual life struggles, or even a striking, somewhat abstract, artful plate of food, all of which speak to universal and everyday issues of time and place.
My use of color plays a key role. I am interested in how natural light in the northeast differs from Florida’s sunlight and how shapes and colors are perceived. Because I am interested in referencing but not representing reality, the work often edges toward abstraction.
