On Monday morning, as I rushed
triumphantly into the Hurvis Center (I use triumphant because that’s the
feeling I feel, each time I complete a trek through these icy winds in order to
successfully arrive at my destination), I was introduced to Lauren and her
husband Lorne by Johnie as we all made our way down the stairs.
Just one look
and L&L instantly reminded me of a young J&J. If you don’t agree yet, just look below.
 |
| Top: Lauren Semivan & Lorne Carroll Bottom: Julie Lindemann & John Shimon |
This is how I
was immediately certain I was going to enjoy getting to know more about their
lives, and I knew it was for more than just the vintage glasses.
One is a
photographer, the other - a public health nurse. The two are as unique as
individuals as they are as a duo. Lorne Carroll, a public health nurse with a
passion for farming, has spent the past few years of his life in a remote part
of Alaska. Whereas, Lauren
Semivan, the artist wife, doesn’t just capture photos, she creates them – not
in Photoshop CS6, but on the negative of an early 20th century 8x10”view camera.
Using charcoal
drawings, found objects and her own body, Semivan creates dreamlike images,
composed in a way that transcends the viewer into an almost unreal narrative
space. When asked, in
an interview, about the kind of photography that inspires her work, it almost
seems like she describes her own images by saying, “the best photographs draw
the viewer in and then don’t necessarily release them from an
emotional/psychological space”. Her photographs leave the viewer with a
haunting feeling of wanting to know more, wanting to reach in, just a little
deeper.
 |
| Lauren Semivan as Ariadne, 2010 |
Semivan writes, “[about Ariadne] Hand-drawn charcoal lines mimic routes across the Atlantic. The layers of tulle on the dress become an expanse of water. The process of photographing myself within a staged environment begins as a private act, a contradiction that interests me as the work reaches an audience and becomes performative.”
Lorne is not just supportive, he admires his wife’s work. In fact, he was quick to express his newfound respect for art and artists in general, after having watched Lauren put “so much thought” into each of her individual yet emotionally connected pieces.
It was not just refreshing to meet a young reputed artist who’s work has been displayed in galleries all the way from New York to Paris, but one whose early artistic journey evolved quite similarly to mine, training in photography under J&J during her time as an undergrad at Lawrence.
I like how you highlighted their relationship as a significant part in recognizing her art and life as an artist. I immediately recognized the connection between the two, and even though he's a public nurse, and she an artist, how "he was quick to express his newfound respect for art and artists in general" was an interesting story. Him expressing his realization of the consideration that goes into the intentional art is very appreciative and its nice to hear from a husband's point of view what the artist life is like.
ReplyDelete