Here is the Artist Statement for the show titled Better Homes and Gardens:
Lorrie Grainger Abdo is a local paper artist. One July weekend in 1995 she took a papermaking workshop in northern Wisconsin and it changed her life. Inspired by the textural possibilities of the medium she began exploring different ways to push paper pulp to its structural limits yet maintaining a 2D format. Adding bright paint highlights the hills and valleys of the paper texture. Recently she has begun to use various painting techniques and canvas to progress further with handmade paper.
Additionally, she works extensively with paste paint. This is a surface design technique that she uses on commercial papers. These papers have movement and infinite possibilities. The papers are turned into paper mosaic art pieces as well as for home decor accents.
The show Better Homes and Gardens combines her handmade paper artwork and paper mosaic home decor pieces. She often uses the graphic shape of a house in her work as well as simplistic flower forms. These basic forms, while childlike, inspire powerful memories for those living in the adult world.
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| From left to right: Heavy House, Hopeful House, Hell House, Healthy House and Harmony House. Each is 100% cotton fiber and acrylic paints. Each measures about 2' x 4'. |
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| The house form on these is handmade paper, the background on each is a paste painted sheet of commercial paper. The one second from the left sold during the show. Others are awaiting a good home: maybe yours? |
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| These are paper mosaic pieces, each measuring about 9" x 12". It's hard to take decent pictures of artwork when it has a high gloss finish coat. |
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| The mosaic wall. |
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| These are small, about 9" x 12". I'm showing you these because they incorporate handmade paper (the flowers) on a textured canvas. |
I took more pictures but they are too terrible (glare, blurry, etc.) to show you. Instead, I'd like to share with you something that they have on the alter of the church. It is a large, multi-panel screen that is decorated with...
tiny paper pieces. What are the odds of that? Apparently this was done by church members. Various commerical papers (mostly magazines and scrap) were used. I think it's lovely.
The show has already been up for about a month and comes down on Monday, October 25. If you'd like to see it before then, let me know.
Lorrie
5 comments:
Lorrie,
You have some really lovely things. I am particularly enjoying the houses.
xoxo
You sooo deserve to have an exhibit!
It felt good to have all this up in one place. Thanks ladies.
Great show Lorrie. It looks fab on the walls and that altar piece...who would have thought. On the glare... I talked to a professional photog. about that. You either have to have the kind of flash that you can position it to bounce off the wall or if you don't, he suggested a piece of muslin over the cameras flash to mute it. WOrth a try I think :)
Congratulations on your show, Lorrie! I quite like the houses with the hearts in them!
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