Bright Colors, Dark Images

Bright Colors, Dark Images
By Jennifer McLean
L
48 | Featuring:
aura West likes the immediacy of acrylic
to go to a high school for the artistically gifted.
paint, the vibrant color of string gel medi-
LaGuardia High School allowed Laura to explore
um. She gravitates towards darker imagery
this part of her. “It helped me accept my own indi-
and anything off-kilter. The macabre excites her
viduality as well as embrace having my own views
artistic senses, and she finds that strong emotions
and opinions. The freedom to be able to be com-
imbue her art. Laura was lucky in her youth to have
fortable with the person I am came from this
supportive parents who gave her the opportunity
school. Everybody there was encouraging, support-
ive and artistic. There really weren’t any stereotypical cliques; we all accepted each other. It was a
beautiful experience.” Following high school, Laura
continued her education and received her Bachelor
of Fine Arts from New York University Tisch School
of the Arts.
Laura was born and raised in a Russian/Armenian
household in New York City and thrived in the diversity that surrounded her. “New York is a tough place
to live in, and I quickly developed a backbone here.
It forced me to take control because nobody else
would do it for me. So, trying to be diligent and
always keeping my eye focused on a goal is what is
getting me to where I want to be and, yes, the
two of the most surreal aspects of living. I remem-
bumps are difficult.” Her parents, her greatest sup-
ber watching my grandmother take in her last
porters, showed Laura how to be passionate about
breath, and it was something that will always stay
everything she does. They pushed her to express
with me for the rest of my life. The mystery, the
herself through writing, music and art. “I would
pain, the curiosity, but each experience adds on a
have piano and composition lessons with my dad
layer of understanding. Being self-aware and tap-
and vocal lessons with my mom. Dad pushed me to
ping into what you’re feeling or thinking is valuable.
write screenplays when I was thirteen so that I
You get to explore thoughts and emotions artisti-
would be occupied in my own world and avoid bad
cally as well as in yourself. It is cathartic.”
influences. Then I sort of gravitated on my own to
paint, seeing Bob Ross videos. Studying jazz
“An artist’s style is ever changing, honing it is a life-
improvisation with my dad on the piano helped me
long process, but there is a core that is recognizable
improvise in my art and writing. These are all intertwined – one creative energy, just being expressed
through different mediums.”
Laura began to find her voice as an artist when she
first saw a painting by David Stoupakis. “It sort of
changed my world around and opened my eyes to
the possibility of brazen darker art being okay in the
modern world.” She says Van Gogh, Picasso, Rene
Magritte, Natalie Shau, Salvador Dali and
Caravaggio among others also influenced her with
their use of color, movement, light and unapologetic looseness in brushstrokes. Laura says she is
always learning and thinks of these artists as
teachers. Her style seems to have developed from a
combination of her life experiences, her need for
immediacy and her love of color. Laura uses bright,
vibrant colors to express dark images. When she
paints she extracts energy from the excitement of
color and the fast drying mediums she uses. Laura
learned early that life is transitory and we all have
an expiration date. She states that she has been
both plagued and blessed by “a roller-coaster ride
of life experiences and they do come out in my
work sometimes without me realizing it. I’m fascinated by situations, people and emotions that I
can’t really comprehend. I find Death and Love to be
Featuring: | 49
because it’s a part of you, and it is an outlet. If you
are content with the pieces you create, you will
always find an audience or a following of people
that feel the same way you do. Nobody is ever truly
alone. There is someone out there of a like mind.
My customer is someone like me and enjoys the
things that I enjoy.”
“It is all a journey to get to
understand yourself.”
About her love of color, Laura states that Cadmium
yellows and oranges, Cerulean blues, Magenta
because it is natural or has become embedded
pinks and black are her favorites even though years
within the artist’s soul.” Laura explains. “It is all a
of art teachers screamed ‘black is not a color, never
journey to get to understand yourself.” Laura
use black!’ “By human perception, it’s a color and it
already knows that she is bold and daring but she is
is my favorite to use, actually. It accentuates all the
also reserved and meticulous as a person, so she
other colors when used correctly and gives them
revels in meshing these two dichotomous parts of
light. I love color. To me, it’s an instant mood-chang-
her personality together in her work. “I love
er and gives me excitement. It could easily change
extremes, and I find that I learn a lot by taking risks
how I feel just like the lack of bright colors and spe-
in life and in my art.” When asked to expand on the
cific combinations could elicit melancholy moods.
idea of risk, Laura says “Using the string gel medi-
There is something instant about color. Bold and
um and pouring paint on a canvas is an immediate
bright ones specifically, which I favor using, are usu-
experience. There is no time to think things
ally the first to grab someone’s attention. Then the
through, it just flows. Where it lands is really up to
form and content comes into play later.”
the moment. This is what excites me because it is
more than just a technique for me. I’m coming to
terms with accepting that the majority of all things
are temporary. This allows me to explore it artistically as well. Having a meticulous base that took
careful time to build and then sort of destroying it
by throwing paint over it is a rush. It is a risk. You
never know if the paint will fall in an inappropriate
section and there’s really nothing you can do about
it. It is invigorating.”
When we ask her if she worries about her art being
too foreboding her answer shows great insight:
“The thought has crossed my mind. I had a gallery
owner once tell me he didn’t really know what to
do with me, but he did ask ‘who would want foreboding artwork in their homes?’ My answer to him
was, ‘it’s an experience.’ It is like saying, why is
there a horror movie genre, or movies that make
you cry? And why do people go see them? Life isn’t
always roses and unicorns. There are all sorts of
people. Whatever you do as an artist, you do it
50 | Featuring:
Laura shares “It’s easy for anyone in the arts to
wonder why the hell are you doing what you’re
from it. Everyone’s interaction with a work of art is
doing. The reality is, you’re doing it for yourself. If
his or her own personal moment of insight or reac-
others catch on to the bandwagon, that’s great, but
tion. If people can relate, then that’s a good feel-
I paint for me. I paint or write or play music because
ing.” By viewing her paintings, Laura wants us to
I need to. I feel whole that way.” Laura also gives us
delve into our own emotions and life experiences
insight into how she hopes we view her art, “I never
and she hopes we learn something about ourselves
really like talking about my pieces because each
by viewing and experiencing her art.
one is personal. Talking about it might take away
from what someone else may experience or gain
Laura’s website: www.lgwest.com
Featuring: |
51