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LAURA DUTTON
Location
Gloucestershire
Social Media
Medium
Glass
Titles
Reishi 1, 2024 Cast glass sculpture 24cm x 12cm x 20cm
Reishi 2, 2024 Cast glass sculpture 27cm x 14cm x 10cm
Moulage 1, Blushing Bolete, 2024 Cast glass sculpture 5.5cm x 10.5cm x 11cm
Moulage 2, Blushing Bolete, 2024 Cast glass sculpture 8cm x 12cm x 10cm
Moulage 3, Perishing Pleurotus, 2024 Cast glass sculpture 9cm x 13cm x 10cm
Emerald Trooping Funnel
Ruby Witch's Hat
Tender Thread
Buddy
Bio
I make sculptures which are organic in nature and are based on interesting natural forms.
I grew up surrounded by nature and have loved the outdoors and all things environmental, from a very early age.
I completed my BA (Hons) Fine Art course at the University of the West of England in 2000 and since then I have trained as and worked as a secondary school teacher of art. Recently I have begun to work part time and have been able to concentrate on the development of my own work much more.
I have a rare illness called sarcoidosis, which I was diagnosed with 20 years ago. It's a chronic inflammatory condition which affects everyone differently. The illness can be devastating and it can manifest in any part of the body. It has had quite an impact on my life and since stress can be a trigger for flare ups of the condition, it has been necessary for me to reduce my teaching hours. It is quite a mysterious illness, which most people have never heard of. Over the years I have learnt to manage it and there are many people who have it who are much more poorly than me. I am very lucky.
My work is about our connection to nature and other organisms. I see this connection as essential to our physical and mental health and very often I explore ideas around corporeality, disruptions to physicality and function, and the fine line that we tread between ''normal' healthy ways of being and other realities. My work explores these themes in a personal and sometimes anthropomorphic sense and also in the much wider context of our planet and the Universe. For me, my making process is literally 'a life saver' and is key in managing stress, which can have a serious impact on my health. My process starts with walking in outdoor and wild places, gathering ideas and materials to work with. I then move into the studio. These acts of engaging with the outdoors and making, help to keep me healthy in body and mind. I am especially interested in fungi and slime moulds and as well as hunting for these wonderful natural treasures, I also grow my own mushrooms. I love their fantastic sculptural qualities and of course they are fabulous to eat too. Many mushrooms have amazing health benefits and are known to support our immune systems and inflammatory responses. For me these wonderful organisms are a beacon of hope in a world which is struggling with the consequences of the way humans inhabit the planet. I aim to strike a balance in my work between celebrating the beauty, awe and wonder of the natural world with the dark aesthetic of a wild world which is in a state of crisis.
