The Concentric Nature of Color
Intaglio, silkscreen, machine-sewing
11×14”
2016
Chromatic Current I
Silkscreen
20×30”
2016
Tart Crispy Greens
Intaglio, silkscreen, laser-cut drawings, wood, paint, beads
22×30”
2016
The Reef
Silkscreen on fabric, thread, beads
Installation – approximately 3x3x1’
2016
ARTIST STATEMENT : LAUREN KUSSRO
I’m an explorer. Navigating terrain and documenting botanical and geological matter, I’m looking for clues, details that get missed or forgotten. I hold them up to see what they point to and what they convey.
From the micro to the macro, nature provides me with a variety of environments and organisms to investigate and study, and I find perpetual inspiration in seeing how everything is connected and how it works. Systems existing in clusters or groups hold particular interest for me because of the way individual bodies come together to build a larger whole. I use references like densely textured coral reefs, delicate fungal forms, or interlocking cellular structures as a springboard, a place to start creating my own forms.
The complexity of the universe invites exploration and discovery, and is part of what I find so appealing – the layers upon layers that wait to be revealed for the patient observer. Vast strata of details and worlds within worlds are found throughout physical forms in creation, from planets down to cells, and even in our intellect and spirituality we are deep wells of mystery. For me the act of creating is closely linked with my faith and is a physical way of investigating my own beliefs and humanity through imagery and metaphor.
My creative process is centered in the space between play and discovery. I often begin new pieces through doodling or experimenting with materials until I find something that feels exciting and worth pursuing. Not having a set idea of what I want the finished piece to look like enables me to respond to the materials as I work. Printmaking is the perfect medium for me to explore layering of image, texture and color, and is deeply satisfying as a process – lending itself to intense planning as well as more spontaneous decision-making. Additional techniques such as hand-cutting or stitching are also used to bring more visual interest and a physical presence to the work. Through my chosen media I create richly detailed surfaces that feature jewel-like colors, building in each piece a visual investment of time and reflecting the authenticity of nature. Investigations often lead to the creation of amalgams, combined ecosystems that can reflect aspects of both ocean life and the forest floor. Nature is bizarre but wonderful, humorous but majestic, and my work is most successful when it is able to portray a balance of that same tension.
My creative work is often meditative, and I see it as an ongoing spiritual discipline. It is an essential part of how I continue to understand and see God, and I find it to be the most effective way for me to communicate my faith, which like my art continues to evolve and mature. The work I generate is a response to the awe I feel when I observe – a harmony playing in tandem with nature.
Lauren Kussro attended Herron School of Art & Design in Indianapolis for her undergraduate studies, earning a BFA in painting and printmaking in 2003. In 2006 she completed her MFA degree in printmaking at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She currently teaches at the University of Houston – Clear Lake, in Texas.
Kussro’s work has been shown in various locations around the country, including solo exhibitions at the Nashville International Airport, Twist Gallery, and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as group exhibitions at Kai Lin Art in Atlanta, the Dadian Gallery in Washington D.C., and the Manhattan Graphics Center in New York. Her work has also been exhibited in India and China. Her creative process is centered in a playful investigation of the natural world, and frequently features combinations of printmaking, sculpture and sewing.