'CLOUD PEAKS'
June - July 2017
Laura Guese is best known for her large-scale atmospheric oil paintings that reflect the emotional, therapeutic qualities of the sky. She received a B.A. in Studio Art and a B.A. in French from Saint Mary’s College of California. Laura was born in Denver, Colorado, where she currently lives and works. She has exhibited throughout the United States in solo and group exhibitions and has spent time painting in France, the Lesser Antilles, Mexico, North Carolina and the western United States. Laura’s work can be found in public collections in Colorado, Texas, and Wisconsin.
"In this hectic, fast-paced world, I search for simple moments of peace. I am infinitely intrigued by the idea of being away from it all, lost in a place of hopeful tranquility. For this reason, I am inspired to paint surreal skies viewed at higher elevations. I envision the viewer in a more peaceful dreamlike setting, away from worries and anxieties to a landscape of brilliance and promise. My paintings are places of my imagination. I find my work the most honest and authentic when I create from a feeling or an image in my mind’s eye.
Many of my paintings contain building thunderheads viewed at higher atmospheric levels, surreal and fortress-like. My work embodies the concept of “castles in the sky,” or striving toward the impossible. The clouds have sharp edges similar to the harsh exteriors of castles, yet they still evoke a certain cloudy softness and luminescence. I’m captivated by the idea of attempting the impossible because I believe anything is truly possible. It is through my paintings I wish to pass on to the viewer a moment of endless hope and serenity."
-Laura Guese