Abstract Art Daily Artsy Mixed Media Paintings

Taking Elemental Chances: Laura Gurton

Posted on October 12, 2012

While Mr. Forager & I are on the road, making our way to California, we’re rerunning Artsy Forager’s most popular posts.  This post originally published on February 8, 2012.  Enjoy!

Life, in any form, is unpredictable.  Sometimes we like the result of a chance taken, sometimes we don’t.  Yet each step of faith is a step in the right direction.  New York artist Laura Gurton takes a gamble each time she begins a new work, never knowing how her materials will react with one another.  But it is that tempting of fate which results in these spontaneously speculative paintings.

From the Unknown Species Series #48, oil and alkyd on linen, 11×14

The artist takes advantage of the unpredictable reactions of layers of oil paint and alkyd resin to create work that uses the elemental properties of both to mimic cellular forms– our most basic building block of life.

From the Unknown Species series #49, oil and alkyd on linen, 18×18

The shapes morph and float as cells or micro-organisms under a microscope, taking on ghostly abstract forms that can seem often friendly or fiendish.

From the Biomorphic Dream series #13, oil and alkyd on canvas, 30×40

I find fascinating Gurton’s use of such basic chemistry to produce beautifully composed, intricate abstract work that reminds us of the beginning of life.  Just as each of us are all made of the similar cellular building blocks, yet we are each unique, so are each of these works beautifully singular.  It’s almost as if each one could be a glimpse into the molecular network of an individual.

From the Unknown Species series #15, oil and alkyd on canvas, 18×24

To see more of Laura Gurton’s work, please visit her website.

PS– Welcome to all of our new Artsy Forager subscribers!  I’m so glad you enjoy the blog.  Make yourself at home and be sure to take a peek around, there are lots of goodies to explore!  If you haven’t already, use the tabs on the right to connect with Artsy Forager via Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Featured image is From the Unknown Species series #50, oil and alkyd on linen, 18×18.  All images are via the artist’s website.

Painter, art and artist consultant, traveler, discoverer-- Lesley Frenz blogs and paints her way throughout the West Coast and Northwest, sharing the work she finds significant and meaningful. All while highly caffeinated.

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  • paula
    February 8, 2012 at 9:45 AM

    AF
    You always have the best eye for the unique & colorful.
    Love it.
    🙂

    • Lesley
      February 8, 2012 at 10:43 AM

      Thanks, Paula! 😉

  • Emily J
    February 8, 2012 at 9:47 AM

    I’m delighted to have come across your blog! I’ve been looking for new sources of inspiration and I’m pretty sure I’m going to find some here!

  • ladynblackdiamonds!
    February 8, 2012 at 11:55 AM

    Beautiful display of colors.

  • lilbrigs
    February 8, 2012 at 12:09 PM

    I love this type of art! It’s always such a breath of fresh air

  • Cindy L Riemersma
    February 8, 2012 at 5:49 PM

    I love, love, love your blog! I have been honored with the ABC (Awesome Blog Content) Award, and it is now my pleasure to pass it onto you. The content on your blog is truly awesome!
    -Cindy

    • Lesley
      February 8, 2012 at 8:22 PM

      Thanks, Cindy! I have no idea what ABC is, but I’m glad you like the blog! 🙂

  • rubina21
    February 9, 2012 at 6:11 AM

    this is amazing loving the colour blends

  • Distance Landaverde
    February 9, 2012 at 9:25 AM

    Beautiful a wonderful example of how science or biology can influence, and provide an impetus for artistic creativity

  • samacwns
    February 9, 2012 at 9:52 PM

    That is sooo cool!

  • Petra
    February 10, 2012 at 3:17 AM

    These paintings remind me of aerial photographs taken of hot springs or other mineral deposits where algae and bacteria bloom. Very bold and mesmerizing.

  • 35andupcynicismonhold
    February 19, 2012 at 5:44 AM

    hello, artsy forager,

    wow! her works are intelligent and the use of colors, bright and amazing… 🙂 🙂

  • gabrielgarbowota
    October 13, 2012 at 2:44 PM

    So cool. So different from what I do, and all the better for it! The subtle modulations of scale and intensity raise these pictures to greater heights than so much abstract work that tries to trade in these sorts of forms.

    • Lesley
      October 15, 2012 at 8:52 AM

      They seem to be alive, don’t they?

      • gabrielgarbowota
        October 15, 2012 at 8:37 PM

        They do. There’s almost a collective undulation going on. It reminds me of a colony of glowing algae, moving with the waves…

  • 35andupcynicismonhold
    November 28, 2012 at 8:51 AM

    hello, again… I remember when I looked at them (cells) through the microscope back in college, they were dreary little round objects moving, ahaha… On the other hand, Dr. Lewis Thomas wrote about cells, full of life and color. The works above render them just as so – artful and alive… 🙂

    this is one of your posts that I really like. Cheers!

    • Lesley
      November 29, 2012 at 1:31 PM

      Glad you enjoyed Laura’s work! She’s one of the artists I’ve featured whose work really resonates and comes to mind for me often. It sticks with you. 🙂