LINEAR VARIATIONS
A solo exhibition featuring works by LAURA STURTZ
April 22 through May 29, 2021
Gallery Hours Thurs-Fri-Sat 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
CLOSING RECEPTION
Friday May 28 2021
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Masks are required. Social Distancing Recommended in the gallery while viewing the artworks.
Line is the most utilized basic element of art. In her sculptural exhibition, Linear Variations, Laura Sturtz employs line in its many aspects. Line is most frequently associated with drawing, but in both her wood and metal sculptures, line is used to describe and define form and space, express movement, direction, reveal depth, and create surface pattern and texture. Her wire shadow sculptures amplify the lines in these reliefs and are designed to create both volume and visual confusion. Sturtz utilizes a color palette for her sculptures that ranges from black or monochromatic to subtle colors that sometimes extends into the realm of bold bright seemingly random colors.
Laura Sturtz is a versatile artist creating work in both 3D and 2D. She explores both geometric and organic forms in her artwork. Presently, her work is primarily in metals and wood. She also spent 10+ years almost exclusively creating in ceramic.
Her sculptural creations are often comprised of fragments of various materials that she has made, altered, and/or found. These varied elements become a unified creation in wall reliefs which include her scrap wood series, ‘quilt series’, and collages, mobiles, art chess sets, and large outdoor sculptures. She strives to create with consciousness and conscience. This may include environmental concerns, using recycled materials, dealing with social and relationship issues, making something useful, drawing attention to the wonders of the natural world….
She enjoys being challenged by processes that arise in exploring various media. Both wood and metal present joinery, form, and finishing issues. Testing and investigating traditional and non-traditional techniques are part of her process in developing an artwork.
In addition to non-objective art, Laura loves to create artwork with the human form. Growing up in New York, there was a great diversity of faces to observe. From an early age, she drew portraits of friends and family and progressed into participating in life-drawing sessions, in which she still participates. This love of drawing and painting people has remained with her throughout her life. Groups of people in motion are of particular interest.
She has received numerous awards and has participated in juried national and regional exhibitions. Her work is in many national and international private collections. In the last several years, Laura has been involved in creating larger metal sculptures which have been exhibited in various public art locations. Simultaneously, she works on at least two different bodies of work. She says that with so many options, life is too short to simply focus on one area to the exclusion of all else.
Laura returned to school as an ‘older’ student at Texas State University and received a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS) with a concentration in studio art. Subsequently, she enjoyed teaching studio art classes as an adjunct at Austin Community College for 14 years. This included drawing, life drawing, 2 & 3D design, and sculpture classes. She also taught classes and workshops at the Art School of Austin Museum of Art for six years.
More of her artwork can be seen at her website: www.artist123.com, at instagram.com/laura.sturtz and facebook.com/TwinCreekStudio.LauraSturtz