Art, Spirituality and Culture with Lauren Curtis |
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Susun Weed interviews artist Lauren Curtis |
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Lauren Curtis graduated with a BFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University, in 1988. She enjoys working in a variety of media, including oils, acrylics, pen & ink, watercolor and photography. The artist is happiest when creating pieces that represent her love of nature, wildlife, travel and spiritual subject matter. The symbology and mythology of ancient cultures such as Egyptian, Greco-Roman and Celtic are fused with the symbols of modern -day , natural spiritual practices, to form a unique and eclectic style. These images are often portrayed through the woman’s perspective, showing the importance of “The Feminine” , which is sometimes over-looked. Lauren wants to convey the beauty in diversity, as well as the similarities, that run through various cultural belief-systems. Lauren has had artwork and poetry published by greeting card and crafter companies, magazines and historical organizations, including the Middlesex County Cultural & Heritage Commission. One of her pieces was selected for the permanent collection of the Joyce Kilmer Library. Her work is displayed in private collections, healthcare centers and galleries. She was selected for a solo exhibit at Johnson & Johnson World Headquarters, July-August, 2009. Lauren has participated in over 90 solo, group & juried exhibitions and is also a member of several NJ Arts organizations. Her artwork has been sold throughout the US and abroad, and can be seen in venues in NJ, NY, MA and PA.
Art, spirituality and culture are all intertwined. Through my work, I express my beliefs, which have strong roots in the power of the Feminine and Nature, and draw from various mythological and symbolic systems of both ancient and modern cultures. Using artwork, often inspired from my travels within the US & Europe, I tell my personal stories of the world as I experience them, and of myself as an individual in that world. I have a great respect for what makes people different, as well as what makes us similar. Earth-centered religions, from which I draw much inspiration, believe that everything and everyone are connected and contain their own beauty. Art is a perfect medium to portray these ideas. We are all an integral part of nature, in both a macro- & micro-cosmic sense, and the similarities found throughout different countries and cultures seem to prove this. These relationships are an important focus for my work. When creating art I enjoy using diverse materials, and for each piece, I select the media that best exemplifies the symbols & subjects I’ve chosen to work with. Each work of art then becomes its own personal myth-story.
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