ÒWhere
do we come from?
What
are we?
Where
are we going?Ó
Gauguin
(An inscription on one of his paintings)
In my work I try to find ways to explore and interpret the concept of how we come to see ourselves through our environment, and the places we find ourselves in. IÕm interested in the idea of travel, and the way we understand the world around us. The situations we establish, and the locations we choose, say a great deal about our personalities, and help us to understand some of the choices we make. Born in Scotland, I have spent most of my life since then traveling. The different places I have lived in have helped form who I am and my concept of self. My artistic challenge is to visually depict the way I understand the concept of place: the discovery, contemplation, self-analysis, and inquiry that are an integral part of my travels.
I am interested in bridging the gap between photography and other fine art mediums. Though my work is in print form, it is more closely related to painting than to a traditional photographic style. I use a combination of mixed digital media, photography, and traditional mediums to represent the complexity of experiences that shape us as human beings.
Studying the work of painters like OÕKeeffe, Mondrian, Gauguin, and Rothko, and of photographers like David Fokos, Margaret Bourke-White, Andreas Gursky, and Bruce Barnbaum, inspired me to find a way, in my own work, of combining the photographic medium with the evocative and emotional style of abstract and conceptual painting. My aim is to show that my work is not just about the image on the page, but also about the feelings, thoughts, and sentiment that drive me to take the picture and then work with it. My art is essentially about self-discovery; I feel the only way we can really understand the world around us is through coming to a greater understanding of ourselves.
ÒOur own life is the instrument with which we experiment with
truthÓ
Thich Nhat Hanh
© 2005 LAURA
MCCLUNEY FINE ARTS