CPC Small Print Show: Kim Laurel

This blog is part of a series of interviews of participating artists / printmakers in the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative Small Print Show.

Kim Laurel, painter, printmaker, and collage and mixed-media artist, has been a member of Chicago Printmakers Collaborative since Deborah Maris Lader opened its doors 19 years ago. Born in Cleveland, OH, Kim has lived in Chicago since 1982. Studying at Oberlin College, Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland State University, and Illinois State University, she has exhibited in the US, Canada, and England.

Kim Laurel. Sight. 2005. Mixed media.

Kim Laurel. National Litter. 2005. Mixed media.

"My recent work investigates symbolic forms and shapes. Icons and totems have sociological significance. Primal experiences, nature, and personal identity, for example, so basic to our understanding of existence, are symbolized in this totem world. Cultural icons explore the associations of figurative images and objects.

"The materials and techniques represented in these current works include: rice paper, thread, acrylic paint, gouache, gold leaf, screen printed papers, photo polymer plate and collagraph printed elements assembled onto Rives BFK paper.

"Utilizing printmaking and collage as an extension of drawing and painting, I have found that in the realm of two dimensional expression that mixed media collage is the most authentic and subjective tool to express my voice."

Kim Laurel. Water Polo. 2008. Mixed media.

Kim Laurel. One. 2008. Mixed media.

Kim's upcoming and recent exhibitions include: Collaborative Vision: The Poetic Dialog Project, curated by Beth Shadur, Chicago Cultural Center, 2009; One Planet - One Experiment, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago; Whiskers and Tails Exhibit, Union Street Gallery, Chicago Heights; Studios Revealed, Art in My Back Yard Gallery, Chicago; Chicago Art Open, Merchandise Mart, Chicago; Evanston Art Walk 2008, Anatomically Correct Gallery and City of Evanston; A Celebration of the Ancestors: Day of the Dead and Samhain, The Irish American Heritage Center, Chicago; Art Synthesis 2008, Chicago Public Library; Re-Assignments Exhibition, A.R.C. Gallery, Chicago, 2007; 4 SUM: Works by 4 Chicago Artists, Las Manos Gallery, Chicago, 2007.

For more information on Kim and her art, go to http://www.kimlaurel.com.