DEB LAWRENCE
My work is far from precious. So it should come as no surprise that I work on vintage cotton and linen textiles as well as lowly brown paper bags. It’s a happy day when a bundle of linen, wrapped in brown paper and tied with string, arrives on my doorstep, each sheet unique in its patina and floppy hand, yet so familiar, like I’ve known her my whole life.
I reinvent shards of well-loved textiles, instilling them with a contemporary soul. Linen and cotton, handwoven by unknown women long ago, and humble brown paper bags, are layered with paint chips, scraps of paper, and leftover cutouts from the studio floor, then brushed with acrylic paint and marble dust.
Worn, frayed, pieced and creased, my work celebrates the unconditional beauty of our blemishes. Like a well worn, well loved security blanket my work deals with our internal struggle to feel comfortable in our own skin and external struggle to be known and valued by the world at large.
Drawing, painting and collage intermingle to lend a decidedly authentic hand.
Whether stretched, hanging suspended from a clothesline, or undulating in deep profile frames, my layered textile paintings engage in fresh, soulful ways.
"Nature Bathing, Colorful No1" 38" x 32" Acrylic on antique linen | "Nature Bathing, Colorful No2" 38" x 32" Acrylic on antique linen | "Nature Bathing, Monochromatic No4" 38" x 32" Acrylic on antique linen |
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"Nature Bathing, Monochromatic No2" 38" x 32" Acrylic on antiqued linen | "Know Her Series #94" 21" x 22" Acrylic on antique linen | "Know Her Series #99" 21" x 21" Acrylic on antique linen |
"Know Her Series #87" 20" x 22" Acrylic on antique linen | "Know Her Series #83" 21" x 21" Acrylic on antique linen | "Bird Lady 1" 48" x 36" Acrylic on canvas |
"Bird Lady 2" 48" x 36" Acrylic on canvas | "Know Her Series #43" 21" x 21" Acrylic on antique linen | "Know Her Series #86" 20" x 22" Acrylic on antique linen |
"Know Her Series #88" 22" x 21" Acrylic on antique linen | "Know Her Series #90" 21" x 21" Acrylic on antique linen | "Nature Bathing, Colorful No3" 38" x 32" Acrylic on antiqued linen |
"Know Her Series #100" 21" x 21" Acrylic on antique linen |