Lauren Acton

• Born in Pennsylvania.  

• Studied at  The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University, for MFA  Program; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, SAS Program, Studio For Advanced Studies – Fall, 1999 and Studio Bercot – Paris, France – 1983.

Lauren studied painting in Sienna, Italy through Villanova graduate program in 1982
 

“Painting is a process of self-discovery. Constantly challenged by oils, I am 
an expressionistic painter who starts with figurative work and then delves into the abstract. I love to carve and draw into my paint.  Finding the right color chemistry is reminiscent of my early finger-painting days and combining color, shape and line can be like working in colored mud. Tapping into my subconscious is similar to art from primitive man where his greatest resource was his dreamscape.  I want to preserve my gesture line and have been influenced by Jackson Pollock and Willem De Kooning who both had energetic line drawings incorporated into their paintings. I tend to paint nondescript faces with few features, leaving it up to the individual to identify. Something generic, I believe is more accessible and then becomes subjective.

Recently, I’ve begun to layer paint over and over the same painting. Revealing what’s beneath and intermingling with the new interests me. A great mistake can completely advance a painting.  It's all about letting it happen. I find painting teaches me about myself since this is a process of discovery and it can take on a life of its own. Finding out what's within and where it will go is a great journey and one which I enjoy every day.”

Artist Statement:
I like starting with a real scene and then abstracting it. Only there does it become personal.  Camouflaging a subject interests me since I find what is not revealed  more intriguing. A landscape or still life can become cloaked within a background and one is not sure where it begins or ends.  

Painting over an old painting is sometimes part of my process letting pieces of what's underneath appear. This interplay between the old and the new creates an intriguing energy. And by using different references I can create a process of layering that  either buries or reveals my subject.