Laura Pritchard Artist 8909 Carlisle Rd. Wyndmoor PA 19038 215 836 4669 laurahotwax@hotmail.com PRESS RELEASE June 27. 2005 Contact: L. Pritchard 215 836 4669 laurahotwax@hotmail.com Local Artist Featured in Exhibition Rosenfeld Gallery of Old City, Philadelphia, will present Wyndmoor artist Laura Pritchard in an exhibition of newly discovered artists entitled “Annual New Talent Show’. The gallery is located at 113 Arch Street with hours Wednesdays to Saturdays 10 until 5, and Sundays noon until 5. The exhibition opens with a reception on Sunday, July 10 and runs through August 7. Ms. Pritchard is known for her mastery of the ancient process of batik, which uses molten wax as resist and French dyes painted on stretched silk. The pieces do not resemble traditional batik. They appear to float in their frames and are “unlike anything you’ve seen before”; Meri Adelman, Curator, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia. Adelman goes on to write “The image strikes first: powerful, tribal, vibrantly-colored and absolutely multi-cultural, an unusual combination of patterns, symbols, and motifs culled from around the world.” Asked to characterize her work, the artist explains “My works are about constructing enigmatic, fantastic faces” which “invite the viewer into a world rich with color and detail.” One reviewer, Pat Johnson, wrote “Laura Pritchard finds a common thread that runs through many cultures. . . the picture satisfies on so many levels”. University of Pennsylvania professor of Fine Arts, Nick Vidnovic, comments “Standing in front of these faces transfixes and transports .” Sculptor Harry Robinson describes Pritchard’s work as “witty and imaginative”. Laura Pritchard’s painting called “Soccer Ballet” can also be seen on exhibit at The Multiple Choice Gallery at Montgomery County Community College where it received the Juror’s Award at the Artist Cultural Exchange Multimedia Exhibition. That show will be on view until August 13. - 30 - Laura Pritchard Resume Janurary 2005 8909 Carlisle Rd. Wyndmoor, PA 19038 215 836 4669 laurahotwax@hotmail.com The artist makes paintings working in the batik process, dyes and molten wax resist, on silk. Past works have been mixed media on paper. Her award winning work has been shown in galleries, museums, and juried exhibitions here and abroad. She is involved in programs that make art accessible and understandable to children such as Art Goes to School and programs at Woodmere Art Museum. She has taught classes to children at Woodmere Art Museum.and has served on the education committee since 1997. She designed the children’s newsletter and invitations for the museum. She was in residency at Erdenheim Elementary School in the spring of 2003. She was an award winning graphic designer and illustrator with recognition from the Art Directors Club of New York, Print and Art Direction Magazines, and more. Awards were also given for map design when she designed illustrated maps for the National Geographic Society. Her father is sculptor Harry Robinson. Education includes a BFA Summa Cum Laude from the Ohio University College of Fine Arts, Art Education and Art History, as well as study at Salzburg College, Austria, University of Copenhagen in Denmark, Chatham and Westminster Colleges in Pennsylvania, certification K – 12, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Continuing art history education through Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Woodmere Art Museum and other sources. Selected Exhibitions and Awards 65th Annual Juried Exhibition Woodmere Art Museum Award Jan. – March 2005 Artist Cultural Exchange, ACX, Juried Exhibition Award Febrary 2005 Abington Art Center Annual Juried Exhibition Dec. 2004 – Jan. 2005 Solo Exhibition “Faces”,Muse Gallery Dec. 2004 “Dear Fleischer” Fleisher Art Memorial Oct. 2004 The Plastic Club New Members’ Show Sept. 2004 Mixed Messages” Muse Gallery July 2004 Members’ Exhibition Woodmere Art Museum July – Sept. 2004 ACX Juried Exhibition, Long Beach Island Foundation for the Arts and Sciences May-June 2004 The Plastic Club May and March 2004 Muse Gallery 26th Anniversary Exhibition February 2004 ACX Annual Members Exhibition Jan – Feb 2004 National Juried Exhibition Wayne Art Center 2004 Juried Mixed Media Exhibition SPP Galleries 2004 Juried Painting Exhibition Cheltenham Art Center 2004 B Square Gallery 3 person exhibition 2004 Abington Art Center Annual Juried Exhibition 2003-4 Award Philadelphia Tri State Artists Equity Juried 54th Anniversary Exhibition 2003 Award W. Douglass Paschall, Juror ACX Mixed Media Exhibition Allens Lane Art Center 2003 61st Annual Awards Painting Exhibition 2003 Award Nancy Heller, Juror “Artists as Teachers as Artists” Millard Gallery, Woodmere Art Museum 2002 Woodmere Art Museum Annual Juried Exhibitions 2002, 2001 Woodmere Art Museum Members Exhibitions 2002, 2001, 2000 PNI Gallery “5 Women Artists” 2001 Annual Festival of Music and Arts, Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill 2000 Need in Deed Juried Art Exhibition and Auction 2001 Award 2002 Award Juried Exhibition Abington Art Center 1994 Award Artist’s Statement My works are about constructing enigmatic, fantastic faces to invite the viewer into a world rich with color and detail. They are about elevating the decorative qualities of the background and borders as well as the elements of the face itself. The images and compositions I create come from the spiritually symbolic origins of motifs from many cultures and era: folk art, textile patterns, manuscript decoration, Indonesian batik, Indian miniatures, architectural decoration, children’s art and prehistoric images. I believe the universality of some symbols and motifs used in decoration in different cultures, civilizat90ns, and times, is an indication of intrinsic, shared ideologies and humanity. A pattern from the stained glass in Trinity Church in Boston may show up in textiles in Cameroon or pottery embellishments in Peru. I believe the aesthetics of a decorative surface, while its symbolic meaning may be obscured or abstracted, is still subliminally affective. I feel this is especially true in our culture which is mostly devoid of meaningful decoration. My work is a technical achievement in the batik technique, using dyes and molten wax to paint on silk. Contemplation of detail, rich color pm sumptuous silk, abstract symbols, the compelling human appeal of the face: these are a celebration of creation and possibility. . These works are about constructing enigmatic, fantastic faces to invite, compel, the viewer into a world rich with color and detail. They are about elevating the decorative qualities of the background and borders as well as the elements of the face itself. The images and compositions created originate from the spiritually symbolic motifs from many cultures and eras: folk art, textile patterns, manuscript decoration, Indonesian batik, Indian miniatures, architectural decoration, children’s art and prehistoric images. Symbols and motifs used in decoration in different cultures, civilizations and times are a human bond. A pattern from the stained glass in Trinity Church in Boston may show up in textiles in Cameroon or pottery embellishments in Peru. The aesthetic of a decorative surface, while its symbolic meaning may be obscured or abstracted, is still subliminally affective. This is especially true in contemporary culture which is mostly devoid of meaningful decoration. These works are a technical achievement in the batik technique, using dyes and molten wax to paint on silk.