Laurie Maves ART - 2008 Work and Previous

Silvery Stars

In the fall of 2007 I was granted a short artist residency in San Acacio, CO, at a very special place named Luna, run by Dr. James Owens. Following that time I increasingly worked on developing my own portraits and what continued to evolve out of looking more closely at myself - figuratively and literally. The title of this series, "Silvery Stars," came not only from some favorite music lyrics of mine, but also from the effect the San Luis Valley's night sky had on me. One can see the presence of Trees, Poppies (flowers which grew at Luna), Orb-like eyes and ubiquitous text; whether it was derived from free writings, song lyrics, love poems or from the story The Sanctuary. And with the words, the images bound themselves together, almost like a weaving of sorts. A weaving of words to tie my life experiences together, each one to the next.

Trash to Treasure Series

This series evolved from the spring of 2007 and directly followed my Frida's Influences Series from 2006. One will notice Frida as well as Venus portraiture and concepts that surround women, beauty and grief.

If She Isn't Tortured, Then I Don't Know Who Is (F*ing Beautiful), mixed media on wood, 24"x36", 2007, all rights reserved by Laurie Maves. The original is available for purchase. Please contact the artist, lauriemaves@denverartists.com

The Mask Project 2008

In 2008, I had the fortune to create 14 masks for the Denver Hospice Mask Project .http://www.maskproject.org

"Yellow," "Silvery Stars" (created in collaboration with Cheryl Peterson), "Joan Van Ark," "Brandi Carlile," "Melanie Griffith," "Keith Urban," Spamalot for the crew of "Monty Python," "Epicurean Catering," "Crown Royale King," "Randy Jackson," Kirk Montgomery," and 2 Gerard Butler masks, one for P.S. I Love You, and one for Nim's Island, as well as one for FOX 31. All proceeds, nearly $2400 from the sales of my masks alone, all benefited the Denver Hospice. http://www.denverhospice.org,

Live painting completed at Epicurean Catering for the event's Kick Off Party November 2007

"Yellow, Silvery Stars" my own mask completed for the event - one of the signature images used by the Mask Project for promotional pieces

"P.S. I Love You," (L) and "Nim's Island," (R) for actor, Gerard Butler

Mask for Joan Van Ark (L) and for Brandi Carlile (R)

Mask for Epicurean Catering, and for American Idol's Randy Jackson

Crown Royal King mask for Michael Geller(L) and KUSA 9 News' Entertainment Guru, Kirk Montgomery's mask (R)

working on Melanie Griffith's mask at Denver's Young Professional's party hosted by the Jet Hotel, February 2008

final painting

Tree Series

This Series of paintings evolved from June 2007-2008. It was all about Trees, what else can I say....I had been doodling and painting these trees as a compostional afterthought. Then I allowed these beautiful beings to stand on their own.

Chapter 5 and What to do Now, acrylic paint with collage on unprimed canvas, 24"x48", 2007, all rights reserved by Laurie Maves. The original is available for purchase. Please contact the artist, lauriemaves@denverartists.com

Four Trees Just Waiting for the Wind to Blow, acrylic and latex paint with collage on unprimed canvas, 24"x48", 2007, all rights reserved by Laurie Maves. The original is available for purchase. Please contact the artist, lauriemaves@denverartists.com

Frida's Influences

This series was created after studying the Diary of Frida Kahlo in the summer of 2006, and was my first solid exposure to the artist and her work. Frida often worked in her diary during the last ten years of her short but beautiful life. Her use of mixed media, text, free writing, drawing and painting inspired me to work in a different way than I ever had before. One will notice the use of text in these paintings, which was a new development for my work at that time. My painting (including my Trash to Treasure Series) to this day continues to be influenced by Frida Kahlo.

Whisper My Name, acrylic and collage on wood panel, 30"x 48", 2006, all rights reserved by Laurie Maves. The original is available for purchase. Please contact the artist, lauriemaves@denverartists.com