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Lauren A. Toomer

drawing

Miter saw, Perception….etc.

“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception”.  – Aldous Huxley I finally bought a miter saw; thought it was more practical to learn how to make my own constructions. So far, so good; and I am happy to report that I still have my fingers. […]Read Post ›

11th National Juried Exhibition

Honored to be one of the artists selected to display work in the 11th National Juried Exhibition at Axis Gallery. Juried by  Gregory Volk:  a New York based art critic and freelance curator. He writes regularly for Art in America, where he is a contributing editor, and his articles and reviews have also appeared in may […]Read Post ›

Fayum Portrait Series

With my ongoing Fayum Portrait series I draw the figures of unidentified John and Jane Does. Referencing missing people databases I translated the mass index of internet content into single in-depth portraits. Their faces are drawn on found manila envelopes that easily could have also been filed away, forgotten, or discarded. My work continuously unfolds with apparent […]Read Post ›

New Drawings 2016

Unsurprising, my first pieces of the new year are drawings; using  two of my favorite things graphite pencil and paper! I’m working on new paintings too…but let’s save that for another post. Now, back to drawing:           -Lauren

Art on Paper Miami December 1-6, 2015

View Fayum Portrait series at Art on Paper Miami, some.time.salon–Booth J5. With this ongoing series I draw the figures of unidentified John and Jane Does. Referencing missing people databases I translate the mass index of internet content into single in-depth portraits. Their faces are drawn on old manila envelopes that could easily be filed, forgotten, or discarded.   The marks continuously […]Read Post ›

Drawing on the wall, paintings on the floor: My MFA thesis show artworks! 2015

Doesn’t every artist wear a beret and draw on the wall?? I still cannot believe how fast time has passed, moreover that I am graduating…woohoo! The MFA thesis show will be on exhibit in the Thomas Welton Gallery  (Stanford- University) until  June 14, 2015. If you cannot make it to the show, you can find installation pictures below. Also […]Read Post ›

Liebster Nomination Q&A

Thanks to Little Macabre for the nomination and the great questions that I have answered below! It’s always nice to be acknowledged by your peers. Where do you do your work? Anywhere with a pencil and surface that I can draw on…I’m not picky! Do you work from life, from photographs or from imagination? I enjoy […]Read Post ›

Chroma Series

Drawing

 

New Work: In Progress

Fayum Drawing

My digital age inquiries compounded with my bare-bones mark-making  style has inspired me to draw, paint, sculpt…… and store way too many images on my cell phone. I began my “Fayum” series in 2010  (Fayum Archive) and it still amazes me how many individuals are posted (and continually added to) the unidentified John and Jane […]Read Post ›

Featured Work: Mask Sculptures

Rather than drawing what someone “looks-like” all of the time, I have been experimenting with creating these mask portraits that capture ones disposition. Some of the shadows are drawn with graphite and some are “real” shadows made using a light source.  There is a thin line between reality and abstraction…. LAT

Visual loops, lines, and values

Whether I am working with a  2D or 3D piece, I enjoy creating visual loops, lines, and values that unfold with the viewer. Below are two examples of my bi-stable pieces that can rest in either of two states. Bi-stable images were popularized in 1915 by Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin, with the “Rubin vase” illustrated below. My […]Read Post ›

Head in the Clouds

Humans have the remarkable ability to see faces in the most arbitrary objects. For example, the popular image of the face on mars; we also see faces in clouds, food…etc.  The experience of seeing meaningful patterns or connections in random or meaningless data is called, “Apophenia”. As an artist and ponderer, I look for these types […]Read Post ›

What’s a Portrait?

My work that is on exhibit ( ASC Projects), utilizes various mediums to compose my portraits; it includes graphite, bamboo, reed, and even dirt. What does dirt symbolize? How is it primarily perceived; maybe as filth, soot, garbage..etc. Possibly, it represents earth, growth, and life. Seemingly, dependent on the viewers schema it can personify many […]Read Post ›

More than the Sum of its Parts

I draw on mostly anything and everything… stay still long enough and I’ll probably draw on you! Whether I am using hundreds of hatched marks to form one figure, or making 15 smaller pieces to compose a larger creation, I enjoy exploring the notion that “the whole is more than the sum of its parts”.  […]Read Post ›

Featured Work: Chromosome Y (and new Fayum Drawings)

In my work, everything is not what it may appear to be at first glance. I create art that challenges my own perception and encourages the viewer to challenge their own.

Featured Work: Brown Scroll Drawings

The following pieces were drawn on brown Kraft paper with graphite and white charcoal. The works on paper depict a person engulfed in a knitted like cocoon that spans the complete 15 foot-long scroll. Unsurprisingly, this paper is not archival. However, this impermanent  quality intrigues me. I am excited to chronicle how these pieces will […]Read Post ›

New: Fayum Drawings

My newest Fayum drawings:

Featured Work: Jane and Syndrome

I have an unrelenting motivation to capture the sum of my subjects life with one picture.  A daunting pursuit that I can only travel mark by mark. Jane and Syndrome are two examples of the differing approaches that I have taken to compose my portraits. A minimal approach: Jane, and surplus approach: Syndrome. The amount […]Read Post ›

Lines, Lines, and more Lines

The unadorned line has always invigorated me to experiment with its limitless potential. A line is a line and nothing else. As an artist, I find this pureness of form both inspiring and daunting. I certainly understand why Agnes Martin, was fascinated by this visual simplicity. Painting each line without the aid of a ruler, […]Read Post ›

Featured Work: Fayum Portrait

This is from a series of Jane and John Doe drawings. With this ongoing project, I am drawing portraits of unidentified individuals whose postmortem photos have been posted on the Internet. It is my own contemporary approach to the ancient art of Fayum portraiture.    

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