Laura Thompson

Artist Statement

My work features meticulously cut vintage magazine images on painted backgrounds, both abstract and figurative. These elements combine to create amusing and surrealistic “little worlds.” Mostly drawing from a collection of nostalgic images created in the post-World War II era, these over-glorified motifs from a “great society” possess their own comedic quality which is further amplified when juxtaposing and recontextualizing them. These works on paper are adaptations of my larger mixed-media pieces. I paint colorful backgrounds with watercolor before pulling from my cataloged library of images I have scoured vintage magazines to find. In lieu of my more complex mixed-media “worlds,” I aim to create a single absurd or humorous “moment” between characters using only a few images. It is an enjoyable yet challenging exercise in play, iteration, and editing. My goal is to draw you in closer and invite you into the joke. I hope you are as amused as I am by these silly scenes.

Bio

Laura Thompson is an award-winning mixed media and collage artist living and working in Harrisonburg, VA. Her surrealist works combine meticulously cut imagery from vintage magazines with painted backgrounds to create dream-like and amusing compositions. Growing up in a wealthy suburb of Rochester, NY, she was exposed to levels of privilege and hypocrisy that she found objectionable. From early on she honed the coping skills of humor and sarcasm. However, it wasn’t until after years of teaching art to middle schoolers that she began incorporating these themes into her own work.