Laurel Hartman is from Los Angeles, CA and lives and Works in Rochester, NY.
Artist’s Statement
My work often explores the concept of mapping in the areas of incidental exposure, personal reflections and conversations. I express the layered nuances and complications of life by layering physical ephemera with certain mediums such as oil paint, sticks and wax, color/patterns – attributes that evoke richness, depth, and the urge to touch. I draw wild gestures and free flowing marks, often leaving traces of previous layers that remain visible, allowing colors to interact in ways I could not have anticipated. I often use pictures of landscapes as a starting point, I connect and channel my own direct, emotion and intuitive responses to a specific journey in my life until it becomes absolute abstraction. Often my work retains some degree of ambiguity and mystery- they remain secrets to be unlocked.
