Laurie McIntosh "Environmental Abstractions"

For Camden artist Laurie McIntosh, whose abstract paintings involve deconstructing ordinary aspects of life and reconfiguring them into finished works, the scene is life imitating art.

McIntosh explains that while her abstracts involve recognizable objects from her life that is split between the South Carolina’s Midlands and the coast —a fishing lure here, a sleeping dog there and what appears to be a piece of horse tack in another—each one is like a remnant of a dream. Fleeting images rendered in a soothing color palette stir memories and emotions, creating more questions than answers. As such, McIntosh says her work is intentionally open to interpretation.

“The objects one might recognize in my paintings are not exclusively my story. They are pieces and parts of life in the South that connect with my viewer’s memories and prompts them to put together what they see into their story. While my new works are an intimate look at my experiences, they are also personal to the viewer who sees their own stories reflected in them,” she said.