Laura White Carpenter
Ceramic, Welded and Mixed Media Sculpture / Paintings I am a Providence RI-based artist who has been honored with recognition in a variety of media: ceramics, welding, mixed media sculpture, painting and photography. In recent years, my work has been accepted into international and nationally-recognized juried exhibits. I hold a degree in art therapy and work daily as an occupational therapist, using art to connect hospitalized patients with their individual healing journeys. I am highly involved in the intersection of art and healing, serve as the chairperson of the Visual Arts sub-committee of Butler Hospital’s Art+History and Healing Arts Committee, and have written related grants and conducted research in the use of the arts with specific populations. In addition to my healthcare and human service experiences, my work is also greatly influenced by the natural and man-made world with which we precariously coexist. I interpret the myriad shapes, textures, and colors of our world into objects infused with humor, novelty and revelation. I often use groupings of objects and mix materials to communicate in a more visceral way than by through individual parts alone. I have been so fortunate to have lived and volunteered on four continents, which has had a profound impact on my life and artist perspective. I am fascinated by the "cultural weight" different objects hold in various parts of the world, and the seemingly universal imperative of using decorative marks to indicate an object’s significance. In my home in Bhutan, I was flooded with brightly colors painted on every indoor and outdoor surface. Similarly, my mud structure in northern Ghana was patterned with gorgeous brown and ochre dots and dashes. In both settings, I also witnessed the fabulously creative methods by which cast-off items could be reused and re-purposed. I am incredibly alarmed by the environmental and climate-change issues which directly affect us all - and I am acutely aware that the impact is always felt most directly first by vulnerable populations. In my personal and professional life, I've made a conscious effort to reuse and reduce in process and in materials. This practice has served to challenge my imagination and propel my art in exciting directions. Artist Resume, Highlights: 2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
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