Laura Murray
​I am a multimedia artist who uses both natural and artificial materials to create meticulously rendered, highly textured paintings and objects. I combine traditional mediums such as oils, acrylics, and clay with unorthodox materials such as dirt, broken glass, and insect carcasses to make artworks that are equal parts painting and sculpture.
I am interested in the constant struggle for dominance between man-made infrastructure and natural decay. Highly influenced by memories of growing up in the poorer suburbs of Oklahoma City, my work often showcases evidence of aging artificial constructions like cracked streets curbs, crumbling brick walls, and blind-covered windows. Growing up in the South we would colloquially describe these broken-down areas as having “gone to seed.” I often depict natural forces like insects and weeds as agents of entropy as well as symbols of rebirth. I create tableaus depicting these natural and artificial forces interacting with each other in a struggle for dominance.
Many of the artworks are small and intricately detailed, and must therefore be investigated up close. Once the viewer approaches, they notice small structural components that are embedded or hidden within each work. I treat the top, bottom, and sides of each painting with the same amount of detail as the front. Occasionally the artwork’s boundaries are questionably unclear; it appears that certain components of the artwork (ants, for example) are quite literally crawling out of the piece and up onto the walls. The mediums used in each piece also contribute to the artwork’s context. Specific materials like Oklahoma dirt, cicada skins, and shattered glass from a car window all lend to an unspoken narrative that can be teased out with further inspection of each artwork.
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