Laura Thorne
2002 - Seascapes
Several years ago, when in the Mexican Baja, I saw a Great Blue Whale. Her back rolled and rolled, endlessly, out of the water, echoing the curves of the parched desert hills surrounding us. Her baby, far larger than any other mammal we'd seen, rode beside her, making sleek little accompanying arcs. I was permeated by the sense of a primordial past and present, hovering, like an invisible fog in which we moved.
This series of abstract seascapes is also is inspired by Darwin's ideas about accidents in genetic mutations that allow species to adapt to changing local environs. Repeating shapes echo the vibrancy of underwater life forms. The images tease out a tension between concealing and revealing, and between the strategic application of ink and structure and the surprises of the printing process. Layered worlds within worlds create a sense of energy that push against the confinement of borders. Ultimately, the work becomes a portal through which control and freedom intersect.
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