Artist Statement

In the annals of American art history no anecdote is more repeated than Jackson Pollock’s response to Hans Hoffman’s query as to why he did not paint from nature. Pollock’s response is the now famous retort, “I am nature.” This statement has since become the now institutionalized battle cry for generations of American artists who have effectively claimed its message of complete aesthetic freedom. Painter Laurie Buss is no exception.

Abstracted representational imagery in the form of organic materials is the primary subject matter of Buss’s work. Vines and flowers thread themselves across her canvases, cresting waves surge and fall; hazy suns and celestial star filled skies dance through out her work. Buss infuses the work with her own unique sense of naturalism. While utilizing these natural elements, the artist’s highly personal vision of geometric mark-making is revealed.

While looking at Buss’s work, the viewer is instantly struck by the flowing movement of the compositions. It comes as little surprise then when you find out that she worked for many years as an aerospace engineer. Descriptive adjectives such as “thrust” and “trajectory” are as relevant in her scientific background as they are in her new life as painter of pulsing and flowing abstractions.

Buss utilizes the divine geometry of the heavens in creating organic subjects, often resulting in an abstracted landscape or nature motif. Her strong color palette only intensifies the loose circular motion that dominates her abstraction. She uses this visual weight of bright colors to form the basic geometric elements.

“My Sins” Series
Begun upon her arrival on the Cote d’Azur in May 2008, these 8 paintings represent the sins which pose a constant struggle for painter Laurie Buss. The series includes “Pride”, “Defiance”, “Negativity”, “Indecision”, “Envy”, “Drama”, “Worry”, and “Self-Reliance”. Since retiring from aerospace engineering to paint full-time, Buss has had to confront emotions and weaknesses that can be ignored with a high-profile and busy career. However, they cannot be ignored in the life of an artist. “The only ways I know to find relief from depression and guilt caused by strong emotions are prayer and painting.” confesses Buss. As is typical of her body of work, each painting has a different style, composition, and structure, though common elements remain constant. Her struggle is universal, yet her expression is unique.

La série "Mes pèches"
En arrivant à la Cote d'Azur en mai 2008, Laurie Buss s'est mise à achever une série de huit tableaux dépeignant les pèches contre lesquels elle combat tous les jours de sa vie. Ce sont l'orgueil, le défi, la négativité, l’indécision, l'envie, la confiance en soi, le drame, l'inquiétude. Pendant son ancienne carrière aérospatiale très chargée et dynamique il était facile de ne pas faire attention à ces sentiments forts. Ayant quitte cette profession afin de ne plus s'occuper que de la peinture, elle s'est trouvée vis-à-vis de ses sentiments et de sa faiblesse et s'est rendue compte que comme artiste elle ne pouvait plus les ignorer. Elle dit qu'elle ne trouve soulagement de ses émotions qu’avec la prière et la peinture. Chaque tableau de la série à son style, sa composition et sa structure a soi, bien que certains éléments communs restent constants. Sa lutte est une lutte universelle mais son expression de cette lutte est unique.