Mentality: Expression and Continuity
Hook Line & Sink Her
This allegorical ecofeminist painting is set at a beach in the fishing industry region of Alaska. Alaska has the highest rate of rape in the US. Extractive industries such as fishing and oil and gas, desperation, and inequities, created a culture of violence against women and minorities, particularly First Nations peoples. The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement is a grave example. Only through ecofeminist lens could I make sense of what had happened to me there.
Ecofeminists posit that in the social structure of patriarchal violence, people of color and women are dehumanized- seen as "lesser," "closer to nature/animals," and that nature should be dominated and controlled for hu(man) gain. Violence against minorities and women extends to the environment. Carolyn Merchant used the metaphor of "rape of land" in drilling, mining, etc, to physical US "rape culture"
Thank you to Joe Bowersox who introduced our class to ecofeminism.
Original: $6,600 Acrylic. Dimensions: 4' x 3.5.' Prints*: $30.
Support MMIW: https://www.nativehope.org/our-work. Read more on "rape of land": Merchant, Carolyn. The Death of Nature: Women, Ecology and the Scientific Revolution. Other ecofeminist influences: Vandana Shiva, Greta Gaard, Karen Warren, Carol J. Adams, Val Plumbwood, Ariel Salleh.
Dissociation is a Vulture
Completed in 2023, disconnect of working from home during the peak of the pandemic in 2020 inspired this piece about the revenant dissociation hovering over the healing process.
Original: Acrylic, holographic glitter, Price upon Request.
18" x 24"
Prints*: Archival ink and holographic glitter, $35.
Lakshmi, Grant me the Courage
The Goddess Lakshmi reminds me that I need not worry, instead hold faith that the universe will hold me. Anxieties still plague me, but when I seek her, they are lessened.
Original: Acrylic, and UV Paints, $350.
20" x 24"
Prints: Archival ink $30.
Indelible Stains
A retrospective on my forbidden identities. The at once both institutional and personal nature of being ostracized for being queer, and the indelible memories of missed understandings.
Original: Acrylic, NFS.
20" x 24"
Prints: Archival ink $30.
Holding the Weight of my Mind
Atlas carried the weight of the world. We carry the weight of our minds, within which, the phenomenological and visceral understanding of the physical world is held. It is held alongside emotional gravity and mental health challenges in relation to environmental racism, sexism, climate change, mass extinctions, etc. This weight may be more burdensome, but we can't ask the Titans.
Original: Ink, $200.
16" x 24" Matted and Framed
Prints: Archival ink $30.
Awash with mental confusion and amnesia at the onset of dissociation, I struggled to find the safety of solid ground that serves as a prerequisite for healing.
Original: Acrylic, NFS.
Prints: Archival ink $30.
Maladaptive Maladies
I found difficulty completing this piece, the eerie green color I used to depict pollution haunting me. Imagining how we both collect and leave contaminants (PFAS, microplastics) within our water. Someone showing up with pots to take exotic plants and leaving behind, well, best just look. This is why we paint! Had it not sold in a show it'd be banished to my basement!
Original: Acrylic, Sold.
Prints: Archival ink $30.
Choke Point
Exploration of C-PTSD.
Original: Acrylic, $700.
Prints: Archival ink $30.
Severed Assault
Exploration of C-PTSD
Original: Acrylic, NFS.
12 "x 16"
Prints: Archival ink $30.
The March
Sister and their Saxophone
My sister inspires me to put myself out there artistically as well. I am incredibly proud of them and their musical journey. I would not be sharing this site of my art were it not for their unconditional love and bravery. Follow them @saxtooter
Original: Acrylic, Sold.
Prints: Archival ink $30.
Philodendron Prince of Orange
It started with a pun! This led to curiosity about the transplantation of species from their original habitats to our homes. Even when conditions are set-up correct by planty people, they may feel a bit stuck, trapped or sad- like this prince is, with his crown of orange to greening leaves.
Original: $350, Acrylic.
10"x10"
Prints: Archival ink $30.
Turning 30
On my thirtieth birthday asked friends to dress as their favorite artists and paint at my table. This work was inspired by Georgia O'Keefe.
Original: Acrylic, NFS.
Prints: Archival ink $30.
Innerchildren Blockades
Collaboration with my sister (Meg Vermilion) and their spouse (Alex Calbick), we added on layers of meaning and color. My contribution demonstrates the desire to communicate the fears of our youngest selves, and how that fear may turn and instead collide with our intentions to share love.
Original: Mixed Media. On Show in Spokane, WA.
Prints: Made to Order, please email.
Unfettered Rage
Anger terrifies me, including my own. Here I explore the potential for productive and safe outlets; places where I can freely let go of rage.
Original: Acrylic, Sold.
Prints: Archival ink $30.
Take Away
Exploration of C-PTSD.
Original: Mixed Media on Canvass, custom frame $300.
8"x10" Framed: 17"x20"
Prints: Archival ink and holographic glitter: $35
Eye of my Ego
Where are our memories stored? How does dissociation occur? What part of the brain holds our ego, and where does it go when our sense of self dissipates?
Original: Ink dip-pen and brush, NFS.
Salty Caps
This punny piece brings me joy, reminding me of my late grandfather who had a mural of the wave painted in his home.
Original: Ink dip-pen and brush, NFS.
Forget, Regret
Maladaptive coping is recursive and unproductive. It continues a circle of pain and fetters healing.
Original: Ink dip-pen and brush, NFS.
The Range of Ecofeminism
Ecofeminist philosophy delivered meaning into my life when I had no direction, no worldview, no religion or paradigms to grasp. When I encountered ecofeminism I once again could make sense of the ills of the earth.
Original: Acrylic, Sold.
Prints: Archival ink $30.
All Inquiries Please Email: lauren.a.vermilion@gmail.com
@lauren_vermilion