I grew up in Cambridge, MA and attended art school at the Boston University School for
the Arts, where the painting education consisted of working solely from the figure and still
life. In 1993 I went to live in Europe for 12 years, first in Nancy, France and then in Mainz,
Germany. Both countries have abundant public parks and forests where nature is
carefully tended and regulated. That time in Europe deepened my interest in our need for
nature and I began developing that theme in my work. I travelled often to Paris and
London and exhibited my work in Germany and London before moving to Houston in 2005.
the Arts, where the painting education consisted of working solely from the figure and still
life. In 1993 I went to live in Europe for 12 years, first in Nancy, France and then in Mainz,
Germany. Both countries have abundant public parks and forests where nature is
carefully tended and regulated. That time in Europe deepened my interest in our need for
nature and I began developing that theme in my work. I travelled often to Paris and
London and exhibited my work in Germany and London before moving to Houston in 2005.
IN THE PARK
The best times of childhood are outdoors, playing with other children – on lawns, or
among trees, or along a stream in the forest. It’s a time of easy companionship without
need for conversation. Trees evoke that early feeling of mystery and adventure in nature,
when the boundaries of our selves become blurred and merge with the forest. The forest
symbolizes and embodies ideas of freedom and possibility.
The act of painting is itself an adventure into the unknown. I make paintings of people at
dusk, during a meditative moment in a time of transition, when they almost become part of
the trees. I use a simplified realism to express mental states and personality. We have
an emotional need for nature, despite its dangers. Why do we seek out both the solitude
of the wilderness and the companionship of strangers in public spaces? This apparent
contradiction is resolved in the context of the city public park.
The best times of childhood are outdoors, playing with other children – on lawns, or
among trees, or along a stream in the forest. It’s a time of easy companionship without
need for conversation. Trees evoke that early feeling of mystery and adventure in nature,
when the boundaries of our selves become blurred and merge with the forest. The forest
symbolizes and embodies ideas of freedom and possibility.
The act of painting is itself an adventure into the unknown. I make paintings of people at
dusk, during a meditative moment in a time of transition, when they almost become part of
the trees. I use a simplified realism to express mental states and personality. We have
an emotional need for nature, despite its dangers. Why do we seek out both the solitude
of the wilderness and the companionship of strangers in public spaces? This apparent
contradiction is resolved in the context of the city public park.
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Laura Feld
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STATEMENT