Laura Menzies

Laura Menzies

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Degree: MA Fine Art
University: Falmouth University
Graduation Year: 2013

New Blood Art Commentary

Listen to Laura in conversation with Sarah on the podcast
Notable Achievements 2021
See inside the studio
See artwork in-situ

Laura Menzies' abstract canvases seem to capture fleeting, intangible emotions: like the simultaneous experience of realising and forgetting on the point of sleep, or the bewildering feeling of deja vu. As in Turner's epic, formless vortexes layers of translucent paint, applied and scratched away, suggest ideas just waiting to be born from the ether. The titles of her works similarly lead the viewer to consider the intangible relationships between forces and shapes yet to take definite form. Contemplative, calmly opening onto vast themes, these paintings take initiative in setting an atmosphere for a room. 

Artist Statement

'My lyrical, abstract paintings are like visual poems, spoken through constructs of memories, emotions and indirect references to place. These influences are not overt but are located on the edge of consciousness, gradually seeping in as the work evolves. 

I paint intuitively in a visceral and fluid manner, each brush stroke directly informing the next. This process is highly sensitive. It develops organically over time by building up and scraping back layers of oil paint, cold wax and mixed media to create a palimpsest of lines, colours and textures that reveal traces of the work’s history. In places the play between these formal elements registers a tension between the familiar and the unknown, offering subtle suggestions and emphasising instability over certainty. 

My paintings are sensory and evocative, the end result of looking, thinking and feeling. They aim to reveal things that aren’t immediately visible and often can’t be put into words. They take time to disclose themselves fully and reward those that spend time with them. They ask the viewer to slow down and contemplate and to momentarily loose themselves in their visual and physical presence, providing breathing space from the world'. 

Group Exhibitions

(2023) Exhibition No 2, Morgans, Cornwall

(2023) Imagine Falmouth, Falmouth Art Gallery, Cornwall

(2022) Autumn Show, The Stratford Gallery, Broadway

(2022) Show No 2, Morgans, Cornwall

(2022) Newlyn Society of Artists, Tremenhere Gallery, Cornwall

(2019) Tate Biennale, Tate Modern, London

(2019) Environments, Tate St Ives, St Ives

(2018) Perspectives, Agora Gallery, New York

(2018) Enys Art Exhibition, Enys House, Enys House

(2018) St Ives School of Painting Tutors exhibition, Penwith Gallery, St Ives

(2016) Seldom Seen, Create Gallery, Cornwall

(2016) Imagine, Falmouth Art Gallery, Cornwall

Competitions, Prizes & Awards

(2015) Winston Churchill Travel Fellowship

(2015) Gane Trust funding Award

(2016) Artists Network Professional Development Bursary

(2016) Visual Arts South West Go and See Travel Bursary

(2017) Creative Investment Grant, Cultivator

(2019) Creative Investment Grant, Cultivator

(2021) DYCP Arts Council