Laurel Beal
Lives and works in Manhattan, KS
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My current body of work represents scenes of nature from places I’ve visited using oil pastels on canvas panels. The process of choosing the photograph I will work from is based on which one “speaks” to me. I have this nudging I can’t explain driving me to recreate those areas in vibrant, saturated colors. I start with a blank canvas and use my pastels to create shapes and forms that gradually develop into highly detailed illustrations of landscapes that strive to convey a sense of tranquilly and awe in the viewer. This way of making work gives me a sense of control, changing or adding whatever gives the work more impact to the viewer.
Based on the bold, unsymmetrical, and rugged beauty of nature, I work to employ the use thick strokes of contrasting colors to convey essence and energy, trying to achieve optical color mixing as was often used by Impressionist painters. This style aligns with my work goals, to capture the life and energy of the different landscapes I interact with and visit. With my current works I ponder all the connections between myself and the external environment. I will depict some scenes in different dramatic viewpoints and angles to convey the larger-than-life grandeur of nature and its impact on the viewer’s feelings.
This work holds importance for me due to spending much of childhood outside and traveling both domestically and abroad, often with my family, to different locations with varying natural environments. Each location holds a close memory of not just the place itself but also of the emotional experience felt in that time and place. Whether I’m walking with my husband watching the sunset on the local pond or viewing the magnificence of the Grand Canyon for the first time. I want to not only hold onto the memory of how I felt at that time to immortalize it but also offer an insight of how I view colors and light and the experiences they offer to others.