(Lauriana Glenny)
Finding Beauty, Inspiring Hope is the title of a solo exhibition by Lauriana Glenny to be held at the Stepping Stone Studios.
Finding Beauty, Inspiring Hope is a collection of oils on canvas and luxurious charcoal drawings by Glenny which celebrates the idea of finding beauty in the unexpected, the overlooked, the everyday, the mundane and the forgotten
Lauriana Glenny (Laurie) has worn many different creative hats since graduating as a Fine Art student from the Technikon Natal in Durban in 1994.
“Whilst the artworks may seem totally diverse in their subject matter- a scorched hill in the Midlands; a snippet of a view seen through a moving train window; an abandoned station in the middle of Italy; a wet, rainy road in downtown Durban- the idea that links them all is this concept of paying attention to our surroundings, to the immediate environment we find ourselves in at any particular given moment in time.
“And to pause long enough to consider finding beauty where you perhaps thought there was none,” Glenny explains.
Her style is loose and expressive, but always grounded in reality, with strong observation skills and good, sound drawing at its base. She enjoys capturing an intuitive and emotional response to her subject matter and tries to express this through her mark-making and the layering of paint and other media.
Glenny has been exploring a series of portraits in more detail, and the concept of the landscape as the metaphor for man’s unification of his soul with nature has motivated her to look more closely at both urban and nature-inspired landscapes.
She sees her role as an artist as being a contemporary architect of hope to a broken and troubled world, with her creativity being inspired by the Spirit of God to breathe life into seemingly hopeless situations.
That is how the theme of her upcoming #exhibition, Finding Beauty, Inspiring Hope came about.
The exhibition is the first formal show to be hosted at the intimate new gallery at the beautiful Stepping Stone Studios in Assagay (in the Shongweni area) – working studio of Greg Hayes, master framer, purveyor of bespoke mirrors and dealer in fine art. The studio specialises in archival museum standard framing using only the best quality materials and employing internationally accepted framing practices modified to suit Durban’s humid and hot conditions. The studio is open to private customers and to the hospitality and décor industries.
The exhibition runs until the end of February. Visitors are welcome to visit the Stepping Stone Studios and Gallery in Assagay: view by appointment.
There will be a walkabout with the artist at noon on January 30, 2021. Numbers will be limited, Covid protocols will be in place and refreshments will be served.
Stepping Stone Studios is situated in 2 Castle Road (entrance corner of Assagay and Castle Road - enter through what feels like a building site. It is the property behind the one being built.)
To book to view the exhibition or join the walkabout, contact Laurie on 084 206 1345 or Greg 083 946 9094 during office hours.
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