Aug 11, 2022, Thurs — Here is my Rose Period Statement… in draft. I am preparing for my September show at the Orland Art Center. Rae Turnbull, the owner, wants part of the show to feature my roses. Whew, sounds complicated! But I agreed to it, so I am preparing two different artist statements. One for the landscapes and one for the roses. Here’s the draft so far.
Lauren Forcella Roses — 1998 – 2008
Rose, the symbol of love and the divine feminine. This incredible flower! Unlike other flowers, each one totally unique, like a snowflake or a person, and also changing dramatically over its lifetime.
Painting the roses felt like a spiritual imperative. As soon as I finished one rose, I was called to have another one near me.
Divine Female Power
During this decade of the rose, I found amazing female power as an athlete in the integrated discipline of TaeKwonDo, earning a 3rd degree black belt and three national gold medals in full-contact sparring. This was not a discipline I set upon with some great strident purpose. I fell into it accidentally and was a “natural”. I cannot tell you the sheer fun and exhilaration of feeling this kind of power in my body/mind/spirit. And very interesting that it was accompanied by huge images of the divine feminine.
In genre, my roses are considered American Modern, the mother of this style being Georgia O’Keefe. (Although she did not paint roses, you can see the similarities.) Within this genre, the style is considered precisionism. This is a flat style that uses less paint which allows you to blend to perfection on the canvas.
The roses packed a huge emotional component into my life, and continue to do so today. I still love painting roses, and welcome them on commission. —Lauren Forcella