On the Edge of Meaning Laura Wait
On the Edge of Meaning Paintings from 2017-18.
by Laura Wait. Santa Fe, NM 2018.
Mare Cognitum, detail. Cover: Moon Atlas, 36" x 60", 2018.
Word forms as image are the primary focus of my art. I use words as marks and symbols, using layers to form history and depth of imagery. Aesthetics of marks are of more importance than reading the text. The words I use are often totally illegible, relying on our intuitive connection with symbols. Influences include medieval illuminated manuscripts, Asian calligraphy and modern graffiti. My marks are universal, somewhat random, and often related to music,with layers of writing acting as layers of melody and rhythm.
For the past few years I have been interested in the diversity and rhythms of energy in music and wave motions especially with a connection to elemental forms such as electricity and magnetism. My calligraphic marks are now distilled into simple shapes derived from letterforms and are sometimes related to mathematical symbols, which describe wave energy. Letterforms from both Western and Eastern systems are incorporated, creating polyrthymic flow of mark making.
Voices on the Darkside of the Moon, 30" x 76", 2017. Acrylic on Panel.
Radiowaves, 30" x 80", 2017. Opposite, detail.
Moon Glyphs, 36" x 60", 2018. Acrylic on Panel. Moon Atlas, 36" x 60", 2018. Opposite, detail.
Sea of Nectar, 40" x 40", 2018. Acrylic on panel. Sea of Vapors, 40" x 40", 2018. Opposite, detail.
Mare Cognitum, 48" x 48", 2018. Acrylic on Panel.
Sea of Serenity, 48" x 48", 2018. Acrylic on Panel.
Super Blue Blood Moon, 48" x 40", 2018. Cardinal Meridian, 48" x 40", 2018. Opposite, detail.
Sea of Showers, 48" x 40", 2017. Acrylic on Panel. Sea of Tranquility, 48" x 40", 2017. Opposite, detail.
Electromagetic, 48" x 56", 2017. Acrylic on Panel. Ornate Fugue, 42" x 36", 2017. Opposite, detail.
Harvest Moon, 52" x 48", 2018. Acrylic on Panel.
Blue Moon, 52" x 48", 2018. Acrylic on Panel.
Skywave I , 60" x 24", 2018. Left.
Bio: Laura Wait lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is married, with one son, one dog, two cats, and grows lots of organic vegetables.
Painting: I strive to create luminosity and depth in my art and utilize various aspects of acrylic paint to achieve my surfaces.
Born in Canada, she grew up in Boulder, Colorado. She studied art history in New York, and received a BA from Barnard College, Columbia University, 1975.
Calligraphic marks are buried, obscured, and revealed in multiple layers of paint to create radiance.
Laura also studied lithography and drawing at Otis Art Institute in los Angeles. She went to London for a printmaking course at Croydon College of Art in 1976, and stayed for five years. Since 1981, she has lived in the west.
I work on wood panels as they allow a delicacy of marks and a stability for the various layers and manipulation I do in my process. All paintings in this book are made with acrylic paint.
Skywave II, 60" x 24", 2018. Right.
Contact Artist:
Gallery Representation:
Laura Wait Santa Fe, NM
Arden Gallery Boston, MA. www.ardengallery.com
Website www.laurawait.com
Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM. www.hunterkirklandcontemporary.com
Email: wait@laurawait.com
Stricoff Fine Art Gallery New York, NY.
www.stricoff.com All Images Copyright of Laura Wait.
William Havu Gallery, Denver,CO. www.williamhavugallery.com
Primeval Murmur, 30" x 76", 2017.
Laura Wait, Santa Fe, NM. www.laurawait.com