Ralf Laurenson, a terrier from north of the border, studied art in London in the late 80’s and has since had an illustrious career in the arts.
Art, music, design, advertising… he’s dipped his paws in them all and still does.
My alter ego as a dog, my actual 14 year old Cairn Terrier, is integral to my art, I’m liberated, behind his furry face, to express any amount of whims, passions, angsty emotions, serious moments or love through my work. Consequently I’ll jump and pounce on an ever evolving series of ‘pop’ art, skipping from camera to pen, to paint to mouse and screen, and print on a quest to express. I thrive on artistic freedom to be unconstrained by style or medium. Inspiration and aesthetic stimulation come from everything and everywhere.
My art is relentless exploration and expression of intentional ambiguity, stories, intrigue, mixed metaphors and a melange of icons and symbolism. My influences are hiding in plain sight.
The creative process can take minutes or months, the results are ultimately prints. I favour fine art Giclée prints on a quality paper and generally at a ‘good size’ to allow for a big picture and hidden detail on close inspection. Specific artworks can involve dye sublimation onto polished aluminium, and on occasion I might finish by hand.
One last thing, I simply can’t resist hiding things in artworks, symbols, icons, whatever resonates in the moment… And if you look hard enough you’ll always find a side profile of Ralf himself, within every artwork.
One final thought;
Is ambiguity contrary to articulation, or is the articulation of the ambiguous where imagination begins? In dreams we so often find ourselves in a fragmented, personal domain inhabited by icons, paraphernalia and people we know, twisted into a confusing melange of the familiar and foreign. The ordinary is extraordinary and the extraordinary, ordinary... and the narrative nonsensical... or is it?
This is where I begin, crafting with aesthetics that more often belong to the dream than to reality. And the dream... well, that belongs to the dreamer.