The Circular Chair Series

The Circular Chair Series: Relationships by Laura Wilde
I am interested in the relationships I have with people. All people. I invite you to sit in my chair so that I can take your picture and whileyou are there I strike up a conversation and we talk. While I talked to Amber she became a little impatient. She had been having issues with school, her boyfriend, the regular things that issues are made of. First I photograph my subject and then I paint them so when I painted this picture I used colors to capture the mood and her mood felt like yellow, reddish- orange, emotional. I took several photos, and finally she thrust her body forward and ran her hands through her hair, thoughtful, contemplative. I wanted to capture that moment because it felt so real.
I have found that the process is half the point. I want to involve as many people as I can in this body of work, a life long study of everyone I meet. It is nice to paint a series that everyone can be a part of, feel roots and connections too. I don’t see people as being detached and separate from each other. Being around my grandpa was a good example of this. My mother and I took care of my grandpa toward the end of his life. It was pretty amazing because he just seemed to get nicer and nicer the more infirm he became. The energy in the house was happy and calm and it felt nice to be around him. A couple of days before he passed away I put him in a lift and lowered him into my chair and took his photo. Then I had my mom sit in my chair and I took her photo. She was a little reticent at first but then her gesture became animated and funny. To me she symbolized how we felt. The green blue background radiated a spiritual clam for me. The pink is love and because it is bright it is also fun.
I enjoy observing people and getting to know them. I keep my chair in the trunk of my car and when I go places I take it out and set in a corner. Sometimes I wait for someone to sit in it, other times I find someone to photograph. I then paint them because I can get to know them better through the colors I use and the way that they interact with me. Sometimes I paint them from life but this is a fast paced world we live in and not many people have time to sit for me. I started this process with my family, and then with friends, and then with friends of friends. I am working my way up to strangers.