Laura Thompson

Dahlias (Safety First)

Mixed Media Collage on Cradled Wood Panel

24 x 30 x 1.5"

$2975

These bad-ass lady lifeguards will keep you safe.

Artist's Statement:

My surreal "little worlds" are comprised of meticulously cut pieces from vintage magazines on painted backgrounds, both abstract and figurative.
Drawing largely from a collection of nostalgic images from the post-World War II era, these over-glorified motifs from a “great” Western society possess a comedic quality, further amplified when recontextualizing them. 
To create the setting, I build loose background layers of paint and then add structure with lines, shapes, or objects, before pulling from my cataloged library of images I have scoured decades-old magazines to find. Arranging and rearranging different objects and characters, I play with the composition until a sense of tension, humor, or absurdity emerges. By placing subjects in impossible scenes and juxtaposing them in impossible relationships and settings, they can discover a new, more fanciful, purpose.
The goal is to draw the viewer closer, provoke wonder, and invite them into the joke. I strive to create a more inclusive, alternate reality where logic is loosely interpreted and possibilities are endless. People, animals, and objects find themselves part of new narratives in themes such as the relationships between people, our relationships with animals and the planet, social justice issues, inclusion, and feminism.