Project Description
“Tell me, what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Artist Statement
I’m Lauri L. Lewis of “Unhinged Art”. I grew up in Portland, Oregon in a large family of nine. My favorite possession as a child was a jar of buttons. I spent many, many hours sorting, organizing, polishing and building my collection. I’ve entered into the art world after a career as a public school teacher and administrator. But, I will argue that teaching is an art form and every teacher is an artist. I am still a collector of things. Today, they mostly include metal, wood, fabric and ephemera. I also have many, many jars of buttons.
Words I would use to describe myself are: curious and brave. I decided upon retirement that I would learn a hundred ways to create art and I’ve fearlessly explored many so far. I often make mistakes, but have also created some wonderful things and best of all I’ve learned so much in the journey.
I work out of a small studio in my backyard that looks a bit like a curio shop. I like being surrounded by color, texture and ephemera. I believe every object has a story to tell. Most of my creations are constructed from recycled materials. I love the notion of an object, designed for one use, being “reborn” into something entirely new.
I have three dogs, Panda, Soji and Vinny and a cat named Phoebe. Phoebe likes to join me in my studio and unravel threads.
If I were a muppet I would be Bert, a serious collector of paper clips, bottle caps.