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Artist Statement:
In my work I photograph people
who have a deep felt sense of
tradition. For a year of days
beginning in the Autumn of
1999, I lived in a remote
village in the Maramuresh
region of northern
Transylvania, Romania. This
area came to my attention
through my love of Balkan Folk
Dancing. My research revealed
the Maramuresh region to be
unique amongst the former
Soviet Bloc for the way it had
preserved its way of life.
After World War II, for forty
years of communist rule, a few
valleys in Maramuresh escaped
collectivized farming because
of poor soil and hilly
landscape. In the post
cold-war period, preservation
continues because of pervasive
impoverishment which slows the
advancement of modernity into
the reaches of northern
Transylvania.
But nothing will stand still
forever. While the older
generation still don winter
footwear that pre-date the
Romans, the younger generation
flock to market to buy shoes
bearing that ubiquitous swoosh
of western manufacture.
My purpose is to capture and
convey images of their way of
life before it becomes further
compromised by globalization.
In our modern world, we often
feel we have “lost” something
important, something precious.
Though they do not know it ...
Further Information
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Artist Exhibitions:
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2007 Robert V. Fullerton
Museum, San Bernardino,
California
2005 Visual Arts Gallery,
University of Wisconsin, Fond
du Lac, Wisconsin
2004 Charleston Heights
Cultural Arts Center Gallery,
Las Vegas, Nevada
2004 Mind's Eye Gallery,
Idaho State University,
Pocatello, Idaho
2003 Romanian Peasant
Museum, Bucharest, Romania
2003 National Museum ...
Further Information
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Artist Galleries:
Coming Soon!
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Artist Reviews:
Coming Soon!
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Collections:
Coming Soon!
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Commissions:
Coming Soon!
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Kathleen Laraia Mclaughlin Biography:
Biographical information for Kathleen Laraia Mclaughlin can be found below. The artist may choose what information to display. Sometimes the artist chooses not to display personal information to the general public. |
Age
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40
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| Gender |
Female
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| Status |
Married
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| Children |
1
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| Religion |
not provided |
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| Education |
Masters of Fine Arts |
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| Hobbies / Interests |
not provided |
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| Favorite Artistic Medium |
Photography Black and White
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| Favorite Arthistory Movement |
Pictorialism - (1895 - 1910)
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| Favorite Visual Artist |
Maggie Taylor
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| Favorite Work of Art |
not provided
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| Biggest Artistic Inspiration |
not provided |
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| Why Did You Become An Artist |
not provided |
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| Your Personal Biography |
not provided |
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| Artist Statement |
In my work I photograph people who have a deep felt sense of tradition. For a year of days beginning in the Autumn of 1999, I lived in a remote village in the Maramuresh region of northern Transylvania, Romania. This area came to my attention through my love of Balkan Folk Dancing. My research revealed the Maramuresh region to be unique amongst the former Soviet Bloc for the way it had preserved its way of life. After World War II, for forty years of communist rule, a few valleys in Maramuresh escaped collectivized farming because of poor soil and hilly landscape. In the post cold-war period, preservation continues because of pervasive impoverishment which slows the advancement of modernity into the reaches of northern Transylvania.
But nothing will stand still forever. While the older generation still don winter footwear that pre-date the Romans, the younger generation flock to market to buy shoes bearing that ubiquitous swoosh of western manufacture.
My purpose is to capture and convey images of their way of life before it becomes further compromised by globalization. In our modern world, we often feel we have “lost” something important, something precious. Though they do not know it now, these peasants are loosing their customs in the same way our forebears lost theirs. They do not see themselves as beautiful or special, because they feel poor and ordinary. But I hope to show they embody beauty because of the way they have spent their days walking paths trodden by their grandparents. Because of the way their lives have become well worn like an old wooden spoon.
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"Talk of mysteries! Think of our life in nature – daily to be shown matter, to come in contact with it – rocks, trees, wind on our cheeks! the solid earth! the actual world! the common sense! Contact! Contact! Who are we? where are we?"
Henry David Thoreau
The Maine Woods, Ktaadn (1848)
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