Artist Statement:
My art is my journal and self-portraits have always been a part of that work. Like many women, I wear numerous hats to fill multiple roles every day: mother, daughter, sister, wage-earner, artist—recycle and repeat. At the end of the day what’s left? Sometimes it feels like not much—a weary human being who looks into the mirror and wonders where her life has gone.
Now at 56, I am looking at how time has flown by, as one joy or crisis after another has consumed time, emotions, energy and effort. I feel blessed by good health and a loving family. But many days I am simply tired – having spent the day surrounded by rambunctious, draining (and delightful) school children, or juggling a ‘million things’ while trying to pace myself and conserve some energy for some evening hours in my studio, while bracing for the next day’s grind. In this sense I know I’m not unique…if anything, I feel more connected to my own mother and to her mother, to women in general and to the rest of humanity. This is simply part of the cycle of life.
I begin to understand how these self-portraits are about celebrating myself as an individual, a woman, and an artist. They are intimate, personal narratives that are not easy for me to share, yet I’ve been praised by respected fellow artists for being so truthful, honest, and unfiltered. Perhaps this is a path through which I remind myself to value my strength and ability to rise above the daily challenges we all face in life—perhaps my artwork can become a gateway to inspire others to value their own strengths and abilities as well.
While many circumstances in life are not unique to me, my personal situation is. How I respond seems analogous with the shared experience of the human condition. The result of my response will not only impact me personally but may well enrich others. This is not an easy thing to sell or to do, and this is one reason I appreciate every opportunity I have to share what I do.
Selected Exhibits:
2019 “Painting The Figure Now II – PTFN II,”
Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, Wausau, WI
“Adorn Me,” Zhou B. Art Center/Online Showcase with Artsy.net, Chicago, IL
“Laura Tan,” The MAE Fine Art, Delray Beach, FL
2018 “VISAGE” Cornell Art Museum Old School Square,
Delray, FL
“Glorious Color,” Zhou B. Art Center/Online Showcase with
Artsy.net, Chicago, IL
“Artful Grace” Armand Bolling Fine Art, Jupiter, FL
2017 “Best of the Season,” Armand Bolling Fine Art
Jupiter, FL
“HOME,” (in collaboration with Edwidge Danticat), Laundromat Art Space, Little Haiti, FL
“Idiosyncratic Monochromes,” curated by
Loreena Kloosterboer, PoetsArtists#85
“Grand Opening,” Armand Bolling Fine Art, Jupiter, FL
2016 “Summer Solstice,” Armand Bolling Fine Art,
Jupiter, FL
“Art Palm Beach 2016,” Armand Bolling Fine Art,
West Palm Beach, FL
“SWEAT Broadsheet Collaboration,” New York Center for
Book Arts, New York, NY
“Art Boca 2016,” Armand Bolling Fine Art, Boca Raton, FL
2014 “SWEAT II,” MDC-Kendall Campus Gallery, Miami, FL
2013 “Nice and Not Nice,” Coconut Grove Arts
Festival Gallery, Miami, FL
“Nicastri/Martinez/Tan,” Bridge Red Studios Project Space, Miami, FL
“The 61st Annual Juried All Florida Exhibition and
Competition,” The Boca Raton Museum of Art,
Boca Raton, FL
“ConversationToo,” The Jaffe Center for Book Arts,
Florida Atlantic University Libraries,Boca Raton, FL
2012 “The SWEAT Broadsheet Collaboration,” MDC-Wolfson Campus, Miami, FL
2011 “Gallery Artists,” Karen Lynne Gallery, Boca Raton, FL
2010 “Gallery Artists,” Karen Lynne Gallery, Boca Raton, FL
2009 “Gallery Artists,” Karen Lynne Gallery, Boca Raton, FL
2008 “Summer Show,” Karen Lynne Gallery, Boca Raton, FL
2002 The Body As A Poetic Space, Collage of the Americas
Gallery, Chicago, IL
“Our First Ever Annual Holiday For Sale Show,”
Miami-Dade Department of Cultural Affairs, Miami, FL
1999 “Laura Tan,” Metro-Dade Cultural Resource Center,
Miami, FL
“New Paths: Annual Faculty Show,” NWSA, Miami, FL
“Views and Tolerance,” Coral Springs Museum of Art,
Coral Springs, FL
1998 “New Paths: Annual Faculty Show,” New World School of the Arts, Miami, FL
“Group Exhibition,” Museum of Contemporary Art,
Coral Springs, FL
Traditional Values,” Santa Fe Gallery, Gainesville, FL
1997 “Florida Visual Art Fellowships,” Orlando City Hall, Orlando, FL
Center for the Arts, Vero Beach
Florida; Gulf Coast Art Center, Belleair, FL
Okalossa-Walton Community College, Niceville, FL
East Martello Museum, Key West, FL
Bibliography:
2019 Kloosterboer, Lorena. “Painting the Figure Now – PTFN
II.” PoetsArtists #104 July 2019.
Hodes, Carol. “Adorn Me,” PoetsArtists #101 February 2019.
2018 “Check out Laura Tan’s Artwork.” VoyageMIA, 13
September 2018.
Kloosterboer, Loreena. “Glorious Color.” PoetsArtists
June 2018
Menendez, Didi. “50 Groovy Art Selfies on Instagram.”
Buzz Feed Community, Didi Menendez,
2017 Menendez, Didi. “The Secret Use of Photography in
Paintings Revealed.” BuzzFeed Community,
Didi Menendez, 10 Oct. 2017
Kloosterboer, Loreena. “Idiosyncratic Monochromes.” PoetsArtists#85 June 2017: pp. 13-14
2016 Ludwig, Myles. “Art Boca Raton unveils some gems amid the dross, overcrowding.” Palm Beach Arts Paper 23
March 2016: feature Photograph and review, p. 1.
2013 Tschida, Anne. “Building Bridges.” Biscayne Times
June 2013: photograph and review, p. 68
2012 Josephsen, Kelly. “Laura Tan helps Key Biscayne young minds explore creativity.” The Islander News 27
December 2012: p. 11.
Casale, Frank. “Laura Tan, Still Life on Green.”
Biscayne Times (www.BiscayneTimes.com)
July 2012: feature photograph.
2008 Cruz, Lisette. “Laura Tan Still Lifes for a New Century.” Social Affairs Sept 2008: pp. 66-67.
1999 Alvarez Bavo, Armando. “Entre el paisaje y la naturaleza muerta.” El Nuevo Herald:
review and feature photograph.
1998 Marger, Mary Ann. “Works by 16 Florida Artists on Display.” St. Petersburg Times 22 May 1998:
review and feature photograph.
1996 Altabe, Joan. “Still Lifes With An About-Face,” Sarasota Herald-Tribune 09 August 1996: review and feature photograph.
1993 Turner, Elisa. “Young at Art,” Miami Herald 25 June 1993 review and feature photograph.
1989 “Review,” review and feature photograph,
Miami Herald.
Honors and Recognition:
2019 Artist Residency, Lewis Arts Studio-Arts For Learning,
Teaching Artist, Miami, FL
2018 Recipient, “2018 FAAE: STAR Artist Residency,”
Hermitage Artist Retreat, Englewood, FL
2016 Juror, Coconut Grove Arts Festival, 2-D Painting,
Drawing, Printmaking, Mixed Media
2015 Recipient, “Francisco R. Walker 2017-Teacher of the Year,” MDCPS, Miami, FL
2012 Regional Finalist, “Rookie Teacher of the Year,”
MDCPS, Miami, FL
2002 Guest Panelist, The Body as a Poetic Space,
Collage Gallery, Chicago, IL
1996 Recipient: Florida Individual Artist Fellowship Award
, Florida Division of Cultural Affairs
1996 Guest Panelist, “The State of the Visual Arts in Florida,” The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art,
Sarasota, FL
1988 Honorable Mention, Individual Artist Fellowship
, Florida Division of Cultural Affairs