Landscapes of the Bay
Paintings by Laurel Lee
Mar. 4 – Apr. 26, 2015
Opening Reception: Fri. Mar. 6th, 6-9pm
6399 Telegraph Ave. Oakland, CA 94609
Glama-Rama Salon Oakland is pleased to welcome to the gallery, Oakland-based artist, Laurel Lee and her show, “Landscapes of the Bay”. Lee’s colorfully evocative paintings celebrate our local environment and the places (and non-places) we call home.
Join us for the artist reception on FRIDAY, MARCH 4th from 6-9pm. Drinks and light snacks will be served. This is a free event.
Anartistic Statement:
I am a visual artist, who in her early thirties came out as a lesbian. Coming out as a sexual minority makes one aware of social oppression. I can truly say my work is always done with eyes toward social health, but I never lose the desire to also create fine art.
I have matured as a person and artist from speaking of other populations, to turning the eye inward. I have also become less about anger and shock value, to an artist that often removes angst for calm. I do not feel any less active in my work for social change.
It is often assumed that an artist is not politically conscious if the work does not speak directly of an issue. While I do not forget my identity, others do; so it is important to speak of the implications of practice.
As a woman I feel it is a strong political statement to be outside in community, but the art created does not say this overtly. Secondly I have no fame but people are proud to have an artist interested in their visual-ness. This is my way of saying you are valuable. It is unusual to see an artist who works on paper or canvas documenting non-places along with recognized places of worth: Golden Gate Bridge, Yosemite.
I hope my work will help others to see the worth of non-places, and recognizing many identities as artist. The finished pieces have some charge of the political thoughts but they are also identity invisible. I do not work on public buildings as the graffiti artist, or as the mural artist, but these artists understand the fine line between accepted public behavior and that which is deemed subversive. During these economic hard times it is easier to demand more conformity, which again erases identities and populations. So these simple drawings are a subversive affirmation of population diversities. who are wrongly forced to assimilate.