TAWA at 45
The Exhibition
Laurie Auth
All But the Blue Heron
acrylic on paper, 1986; 22.5″h x 34″w; Collection of Mary Yess and Dave Orban
Laurie Auth (www.lsauth.com) graduated from the University of Virginia majoring in literature and art history. In her fourth year, she concentrated in studio art and knew that she wanted to further her studies in printmaking and painting. She completed her master’s degree in fine art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She paints abstract landscapes and figurative works in a range of mediums including oil, acrylic, gouache, ink, pencil, and collage; and creates three-dimensional mixed-media sculpture and relief. Over the past few years, she reconnected with her early printmaking studies and has created digital works, using Photoshop as her new silkscreen mode. She lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee, and exhibits her work locally, nationally, and on social media.
“‘All but the Blue Heron’ is a painting that was inspired by my move to Princeton, NJ, in the mid-1980s, after my prior life of seven years in Chicago. Going from an exciting urban art center to a sleepy university town was a bit of a culture shock for me. But my world expanded in unexpected ways when I discovered the Institute Woods, which were very close to where I lived. I would take late afternoon walks through these woods and all the plant and wildlife beauty of this natural environment deeply affected my work. One day on one of these walks, I came to a clearing with a pond. Everything was hushed and preternaturally still, but I felt a presence. I stopped to look at the reflections in the water and I was stunned by this majestic bird poised like a magical sculpture on the edge of the pond. This was my first encounter with the Great Blue Heron. I had never seen such a magnificent bird before. I was in a state of utter enchantment. Decades have passed since that first encounter, and I have seen other Great Blues in many places around the country. Each sighting brings back afresh this moment of wonder and joy. Pure perfection is out there, waiting to be discovered when you least expect it.”