Phelps Rogers, Laura

Statement
I frequently reference womanhood and domestic life from a personal perspective - contrasting life in the era of pre-industrial agriculture with mid-century conveniences and social expectations to modern day thinking and contemporary presentation. Social manifestations of manners and current cultural shifts blend together while I consider and respond to the current societal desire for stimulus. Addressing eras of long past simplicity and complex issues pertaining self-identification, domesticity, non-traditional female roles, hard work and toughness I keenly contrast femininity and fragility within investigations including specific applications of medium as extensions of concepts.

Relying on a handful of repeated topics, themes, mediums, devises and environmental components to achieve visual lexicons, my materials and processes range from: social engagement, sculpting in wood, steel, iron, bronze, process based and digital photography, ephemeral components and mixed media approaches frequently utilizing what is on hand. I set out to achieve installation compositions augmented with light-based components, performance, alternative substrates for process-based imagery, clothing, familial and found objects.

To elucidate, my sculpture is focused on the recontextualization of objects and memory based conceptual interpretations of familiarities and cultural references to spur wide open personal translations for viewers. Photography, color and light play a supporting role in the creation and final presentation of visual dialogues. Ephemeral materials referencing impermanence, fragility, sustenance, care-giving, birth and death assist in adding to the complexity of messages, while performance strengthens conceptual connections to underlying ideas.

My inspiration comes from surprising sources as simple as a tomato on the counter or as vast as the west and the changing landscape. Topics I have delved into include: beauty, aging, war, environment, disappearance of entire industries, disappearances of cultural components and the landscape. Euphemisms serve as a means of creating accessibility for viewers.

Biography
Laura is a contemporary sculptor who lives and works out of her studio in Denver, Colorado. Her work can be seen in galleries, private and corporate collections, commercial and public spaces regionally, nationally, and internationally. Represented at Spectrum Miami at Art Basel in 2017 and just returning works in 2018 from exhibiting at Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, Sordoni Gallery, Pennsylvania, IGCA, Anchorage, Las Vegas, Art Expo, New York City and Republic Plaza, Denver, Colorado. She is currently in the midst of her social engagement public work Art In The Everyday Community Quilt Project in Hawaii. She has had over 14 solo exhibitions including Colorado Women’s College at the University of Denver in her first compilation of works from four solo shows titled A Woman’s View. Laura was born in Denver, Colorado and began her visual background in Southern Colorado. She received her BFA from the University of Colorado Denver. Her commercial practice includes curatorial roles, fabrication and fine art consulting. She has ties to metal casting communities, attended numerous casting events, residencies and received numerous awards for her work. She has permanent work in the Talsi Regional Museum in Latvia, the Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, the Confucius Institute and CoBiz Bank, Denver Colorado and Lamar Station Crossing, Lakewood, Colorado.

http://www.lauraphelpsrogers.com