Laura Craig McNellis : Internal Conversations

Introduction by Mark van der Wahle
Mark Van De Walle, 2001
Publisher: Ricco/Maresca Gallery.

Pages: 52

Laura Craig McNellis was born in 1957 in Nashville, TN, developmentally disabled and autistic – although this last diagnosis would not be made until she was an adult. She began painting at age eight, with her creative activity occurring mostly during the nighttime hours in a bedroom shared with one of her four sisters, of which Laura was the youngest. As a self-taught artist, Laura usually receives her creative stimulation from the familiar objects found in her environment: clothing, food, tools, animals, and buildings.

 

Characteristically, Laura uses plain and unpretentious materials to create highly sophisticated paintings of everyday things. She has developed a distinctive style of portraying her subject matter, powerfully isolated from its surroundings. Typically present in her paintings is a shining sun, and bold architectural letters as her signature across the bottom. Laura often uses scissors to create cut-outs or to remove negative spaces.

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