Laurel Dugan

My work focuses on the experience of American life in the twenty-first century. Primarily through the lens of a Midwestern family, it explores cultural forces that shape us and our relationships. It asks the question, "What do we surround ourselves with and what does that say about us?" I am drawn to the absurd in modern life. My paintings explore the here and now, and they show the poignance, irony, and ridiculousness of everyday life.

I am increasingly aware of how we—as individuals, families, and as a society—are shaped by cultural forces. I wonder if we adequately consider how these forces shape us. In particular, I am concerned by the shallowness of modern life and how I believe it is at odds with human flourishing. I represent this dissonance in the way my highly saturated underpaintings peek through the more nuanced colors in the finished paintings. The juxtaposition of two or more clashing colors can feel like a glitch—like something suddenly went wrong but just as quickly righted itself—and we're left wondering what happened. I hope viewers of my work can relate to the portrayal of human experiences and find the mysterious intersection where distress meets hope.

Being able to laugh at ourselves and our ridiculousness is a step toward empathy and wisdom. I think art will play a part in reweaving the fraying fabric of our culture. Each composition offers a unique opportunity to examine the quotidian through the medium of paint. I seek to integrate the formal and conceptual elements in such a way that they are inextricable. Finally, I hope that the questions and ideas raised by my paintings are found worthy of sustained contemplation by my audience.