Fine Art Professionals of Northern Virginia

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Get to Know Our Featured Artist

Laurie Fields

Laurie Fields exhibiting her work at the Alexandria Art Festival in Arlington, VA.

After graduating from the University of Hartford with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, I became a textile designer in New York City, designing prints for apparel and home furnishings. I was accepted as a resident artist at the Farmington Valley Arts Center in Avon, Connecticut, where I had a working studio which was open to the public. I was the recipient of an Individual Artists Grant from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts to further develop my painting style, leading to exhibitions at Arts Exclusive Gallery in Simsbury, Connecticut, Kiva Gallery in Scarsdale, New York and first prize at the Connecticut Women Artists Exhibition at the Slater Museum in Connecticut.

In May of 1981, I was accepted as a resident artist at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, Virginia, where I currently have a solo studio. It was here that my work morphed from exclusively acrylic painting to mixed media pieces, combining such elements as plexiglass, plaster, metal and roofing.

“My combination of various collage materials, textures and acrylic paint produce abstract paintings suitable for both residential and commercial settings."

Laurie Fields

Installation of Laurie's artwork.

In addition to the studio, I participate in about six art festivals a year, which have included Rittenhouse Art on the Square (Philadelphia, Pa.), Bruce Museum Outdoor Arts Festival (Greenwich, Ct.), Armonk Outdoor Art Show (Armonk, NY), Central PA Arts Festival (State College, Pa.), Gracie Square Arts Festival (New York, NY), Northern Va. Fine Arts Festival (Reston, Va.), MPAartfest (McLean, Va.), Longs Park Art Festival (Lancaster, Pa.), and Bethesda Row Arts Festival (Bethesda, Md.).

AREA OF EXPERTISE

LOG JAM - 24 x 48 - mixed media

ENCASED FLORAL - 31 x 20 - natural elements in encaustic wax, oil/cold wax, acrylic on plexiglass, roofing, mounted on aluminum

EXPRESSION THROUGH EVERYDAY MATERIALS

My area of expertise is using and combining everyday materials in unexpected ways. While walking through Home Depot I gravitate towards the roofing, plaster, tiles, adhesives and flashing and think about new ways to use these materials. A discarded piece of plexiglass, wood or tin, can often be the beginning of a new piece, and lend themselves to the earthy palette I am drawn to. My process involves arranging and rearranging.

“...I gravitate towards the roofing, plaster, tiles, adhesives and flashing and think about new ways to use these materials."

Laurie Fields

ZEN SERIES - 16 x 8 - oil/cold wax, acrylic on plexiglass, modeling paste/acrylic, tiles, roofing, mounted on aluminum

IN THE STUDIO

Laurie's studio in the Torpedo Factory, Alexandria, VA. Photo courtesy of Google Images.

My studio life is unique in that my studio is in the Torpedo Factory Art Center, with other artists, in a building which is open to the public 7 days a week. While the front of my studio is mainly gallery space, the remaining part is my work space. Although it took some time to get used to people watching and interrupting my work, I enjoy sharing my process with them. I might be observed laying out the composition for a piece, glueing it down, varnishing it, sanding it, framing it, or a combination of these.

Click HERE for a virtual tour of Laurie's Studio.

The Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria, VA.

Photo courtesy of Google Images.

My work is in the collection of the Vanderbilt family, as well as such corporate collections as IBM, General Foods, Hyatt Regency, Westinghouse, Geico and others. It has been published in Cosmopolitan, Designer, Interior Design and Home Entertainment magazines. Over seventy of my images have been published as posters and are distributed worldwide.

RED/BLACK SERIES - 23 x 12 - encaustic wax, acrylic on plexiglass, modeling paste/acrylic, patina copper, roofing

Laurie at work in her studio.

“I love having my dog, Teddy, with me at the studio everyday - and at any show that allows dogs. It's a perk at the Torpedo Factory that it's dog-friendly for both residents and visitors."

Laurie Fields