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Sentimental Abstracts
Lauren Mycroft, a Canadian acrylic artist, creates a gorgeously liquid abstraction on large canvas boards, bringing with it an incredible sense of nostalgia. The organic vagueness of her soft works allows the viewer to relate the imagery to their own life experiences, making her work uniquely sentimental as well as delicately fresh and beautiful. Her pieces are reminiscent of natural landscapes, mountain ranges and the soft hues of the raw earth.
Regardless of struggling to find her identity as an artist throughout school, Mycroft persevered and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Visual Arts. “I knew I couldn’t give up on that side of myself; it would have felt like losing a limb.” Mycroft found herself stuck in a routine of unfulfilling creation for a short time after College, however, eventually found her creative voice and style.
“I stopped making it hard on myself and just painted what naturally came out of me and continue to follow this way of working.”
Being a mother requires Mycroft to stick to a “pretty strict work schedule” while her son is in day-care. This means she cannot simply wait for inspiration to greet her but has to work hard through artistic blocks to create in the time that she has. “I have always had an innate need to create and I find inspiration from within myself; it’s how I work through my ideas and my experiences navigating this world.”
Using limited tools, Mycroft applies watered down paint by pouring it directly onto the canvas. “I let the way it settles dictate the composition.” She tries to stay true to the natural flow of the water and does not attempt to control it, using brushes only to guide rather than demand. This is a testament to the undeniably earthy and harmonic quality of her work that looks like a translucent snapshot into the naturally occurring beauty of the world. The geometry of water is replicated in true likeness, with a deep respect for the value of its natural beauty.
“Most people who see my work tell me it reminds them or a specific location or an experience. I love that everyone has their own experience when viewing my work. I think that’s how art should be.”
The individual viewer will interpret an unsaturated mountain range or watery dreamscape differently according to the places they have been to. Mycroft values her own personal relationship with each painting and does not want that to “dictate anyone else’s experience”. Her value of the boundless interpretations and emotional provocations that her viewers respond to her work with is clear.
Lauren Mycroft believes that “there is no better time to be an artist. Everything is accessible to us through online marketing and the ability to connect with artists all over the world – the creative community is open to sharing knowledge now and not be protective; we are learning that others’ success does not hinder our own.”
