In Good Company with Lauren Florence By Emily L. Newman
Left: Lauren Florence, In Good Company III, 2021, acrylic, 36” x 36”, courtesy of the artist. Right: Lauren Florence, Birdie, 2020, acrylic, 48” x 48”, courtesy of the artist
As we are all coping and handling the pandemic in the best ways that we can, most of us recognize that connections of all types have become that much more important to us. For those of us that went months without seeing and hugging family, we can now appreciate even more a sense of togetherness. In many ways, experiencing and communing with Lauren Florence’s work can create a similar sense of familiarity. In Good Company, being presented at the Price Tower Arts Center from August 28 – November 7, features a number of paintings exploring people, animals, relationships, and identity. Often based on vintage photographs, Florence originally used family and friends’ photos, but also referred to images that were on display in the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. In her interpretation and manipulation of these older photographs, Florence works to create paintings that recall memories and relatable histories. Speaking of these works, she has noted, “I’m looking for narrative and joy, primarily…. Sometimes the narrative in a photo is clear, but not always. When the 6
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narrative is vague, I enjoy combining other elements to push the narrative into a bigger story.” It’s no surprise then to see cowboys and cowgirls in these paintings in this part of the country, as they seem to inform every Oklahoman’s identity in some way or another. Undoubtedly, and at this very moment, there is comfort in that kind of nostalgia. These images are not meant to shock, rather, Florence repeatedly asserts that she wants the viewers to find joy in these works. The colors are bold and bright, often fun and unexpected, not the colors of real life. Orange and green skies, purple cows, and pastel colored cowboy hats proliferate. While there are not any smiles, there also does not seem to be any pain or heartache. The paintings embody a sense of being in a moment, frozen in time – much like photographs. But in their color and brushstrokes, these works of art assert their painting-ness. Like the 18th Century Japanese masters of Ukiyo-E print techniques whose work was adapted in the Western world by Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt, flatness, pattern, and decoration all unite to create an image
that pushes everything to the surface with an array of color and style. These influences are only enhanced by Florence’s own schooling as she received a degree in textile design from the University of Kansas. The composition and design of textiles recalls this 18th and 19th century work, while also bridging to the obviously named Pattern and Decoration Movement of the 1970s (currently experiencing a much-needed revival right now through pivotal retrospective exhibitions in the past few years in New York, Los Angeles, and Vienna among other places). These ideas all come together in her work, as seen in A Day at the Races. In the foreground stands a woman wearing a white cloche hat and a boldly patterned coat. Hitting at mid-calf, the coat has white squares surrounded by two shades of red, with what appears to be a fur collar and a large flower pinned to her lapel. The woman holds a red/orange coordinated handbag as she smiles and poses for the camera. Behind her, three jockeys sit atop their horses as if lined up before or after a race. But unlike the woman who has at least a pink tone to her skin, the jockeys and horses are a mass of color–
