Laria Saunders

Laria Saunders
San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico

STATEMENT

I am digital artist that collects my palette from the streets and assembles multiple layers by blending them with a smartphone or tablet. I use bits and pieces of original texture photos such as an aging wall, a splatter of paint on the street, or a weathered color on a building. Unlike traditional collage, the source material is often hidden in order to create a painterly look. The process is similar to decollage, with many layers that are built up following an extraction or unmasking process. Each piece contains 4 to 200 texture photos that can take several hours to several months. My portfolio includes video art, animated paintings, plus NFTs–-both still and animated. The work is primarily abstract with some figurative and series pieces. 

I incorporate integral philosophy, transformation from pain and the process of creation, The central column seen in a lot of paintings references humanity’s evolutionary, creative drive that powers a constant forward movement of “what’s next.” The column is also personal and mirrors my own willpower to endure and transform chronic illness/pain. 

BIO

I am self-taught and influenced by a family of artists and performers on both sides. I am represented by Octavia Art Gallery (New Orleans) and ArtLifting (Boston). Collectors of my work include: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, WarnerMedia, and Sony Pictures Entertainment. I am a former dancer/photographer from Boston, New York and Los Angeles and I currently live in central Mexico. I began digital collage in 2012 in order to stay creative while mostly bedridden or confined to a dark house. The small emitting light screen of the phone was the best option given daily severe migraines and pain from head to toe. Now that I have found a way to manage my conditions, I have switched to the tablet. This technology is perfect for those of us limited by our bodies, I’m just scratching the surface of this exciting contemporary art form. 

ARTIST CONTACT

[click to email]
www.lariasaunders.com

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