Laura Ball

Separation of Earth and Sky (Blake)

2022

"Shih Tzu" a sentimental dog painting by Robert Zakanitch a founder of the Pattern and Decoration movement of the 1970's believes in painting subjects of beauty with delicate patterns as well as animals. This Shih Tzu dog charms along with Zakanitch's graphite drawings depicting the dog in different positions. Zakanitch was an original exhibitor at Holly Solomon...

"Kinda a Terrier" a sentimental dog painting by Robert Zakanitch a founder of the Pattern and Decoration movement of the 1970's believes in painting subjects of beauty with delicate ...

This series was inspired by a 1950’s era instruction manual found while clearing out my father’s basement workshop. The How To Light A Model manual employed voluptuous female models to teach lighting techniques to amateur photographers such as my father. Diagrams plot the prescribed direction of the lights. The nude women hold the pose, their lips bright red and their feet dirty from the studio floor. As naked props for the authoritarian photographer, their vulnerability seems palpable. This work visualizes the human condition as a balance between feral and fabricated worlds. Vivid, oversized creatures embody instinctual energy. Wax seals, gold spheres and text-like marks signify rational structures. One speaks in a whisper, the other in a hiss. Winifred McNeill...

This series was inspired by a 1950’s era instruction manual found while clearing out my father’s basement workshop. The How To Light A Model manual employed voluptuous female models to teach lighting techniques to amateur photographers such as my father. Diagrams plot the prescribed direction of the lights. The nude women hold the pose, their lips bright red and their feet dirty from the studio floor. As naked props for the authoritarian photographer, their vulnerability seems palpable. This work visualizes the human condition as a balance between feral and fabricated worlds. Vivid, oversized creatures embody instinctual energy. Wax seals, gold spheres and text-like marks signify rational structures. One speaks in a whisper, the other in a hiss. Winifred McNeill...