The artist and the viewer. It is a relationship that has stood the test of time where one depends on the other. We view others and we ourselves are seen. Through the artist’s lens, casual observation becomes a narrative. Individuals evolve into characters that inhabit the newly constructed world of the artist. As an astute observer, Lauren Kent, use this process to transform the surface of her canvas into an expressive and vibrant commentary on the everyday.
Artist Statement:
The majority of my work focuses on this relationship between the individual, with their private life and inner world, and the public spaces in which they inhabit. With a love for color and the materiality of oil paint, my paintings transform everyday scenes into psychological, emotional landscapes and people within them into recognizable characters.
Working from photographs that I take throughout my day, I interpret what I encounter - appreciating the mundane, typical, beautiful, and unexpected. Library patrons typing and reading. Luggage plopped at an airport gate. Hands holding. Commuters on the train - moving, waiting, distant, relating.
I start my paintings with a structured under painting that gives way to layers that are more stylized. I like to work quickly, blending wet paint into wet paint, pulling it off to reveal colors below. I allow space for the material to speak for itself, giving an element of surprise that contributes to the altered nature of the scenes that I am representing.
In one way, my paintings recount something I have seen, somewhere I have been, and people with whom I have shared a space. At the same time, I hope to capture moments that have a universal relatability - in hopes that viewers will consider their daily surroundings with a renewed sense of wonder.
To see more of Lauren’s artwork visit:
http://www.laurenkentart.com/
About the Inside-Out Gallery
Initiated in 2009, The Inside-Out Gallery is located in the CVS Window in Davis Square, a unique space that allows the public to view an eclectic array of works from artists and local organizations each month. The mission of the Somerville Arts Council is to cultivate and celebrate the creative expressions of the Somerville community. Through innovative collaborations and quality programming we work to make the arts an integral part of life reflective of our diverse city.