ARTIST STATEMENT
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Artist Statement -



Whatever life a female leads, there is a label she’ll have to live down or live up to. These conceptions are so embedded into our society, vocabulary and way of thinking that I find it unnecessary to state examples. It is rarely a female’s own choice; it is
someone else that gives her the title to make her less or more than she really is. Labels have become living organisms, subject to laws of cultural evolution. They are born, they grow, and they die and / or change to fit the times. These labels and laws have been the focus of my past works. What I have learned from my earlier works, has guided me to develop and put more intention on the consequence of stereotypes and archetypes. In a survey, I have conducted, of 100 women of different ages, race and education, I have found that 90% of the woman believe that fewer than 20% of females are not happy or fulfilled. I have also found that many use external devices, for example, shopping, money, and jewelry, to compensate for the feeling of unhappiness, depression and guilt from not living up to the expectations placed on them. Ultimately, what is at the core of this new work is my personal reaction to these hindering limitations, not the depiction of certain qualities. It is my attempt to articulate these labels as they are revealed to me. Words seem to fall short when communicating my response and I have found that the avenue of painting to be the best vehicle. Using
the female figure within the painting enables an opportunity to communicate directly to the viewer’s senses since we all can recognize the forms of a fellow human being. It also offers a chance to retain a sense of fluidity while working, so section of the painting can rise and fall in importance.

My “women”, reflect a profound sense of isolation, rootlessness and isolation. Depicted as the sole subject in each work, the female is painted with a quiet aggression and combativeness, to demonstrate both an acceptance and denial of the social constructs. The figure is threatened by the energy of the process that has created it. They are distorted and brutally honest depictions of naked bodies, and are reflective of what label has been assigned, and their response to them. Using an unrealistic palette to portray flesh, one is left with the feeling of bruised, stained and broken.


Artist Exhibitions



Curriculum Vitae

Born London, Ontario. May 11 1968.
Education
Education
1990-1993 Honours -Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Windsor.
1987-1990 Diploma in Visual Arts, Fanshawe College of Arts and Technology

Solo Exhibitions
2016 Paper Crown, 711 Central Studios, London, Ontario
2016 Underneath it all, St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre, St. Thomas, Ontario
2012 Sick Secrets, Lambeth Art Gallery, Lambeth, Ontario
2011 Sick Secrets, Niagara Artists Centre, St. Catherines, Ontario
2008 PAINTED AND TAINTED, Gallery Lambton, Sarnia Ontario
2005 Documenting a Lie, Gallery Lambton, Sarnia, Ontario
2004 Infliction, Rainbow Cinemas, Market Square, Toronto, Ontario
2004 Catharsis, St. Thomas -Elgin Public Art Centre, St. Thomas, Ontario
2002 Green Art, One London Place, London, Ontario
2001 A Personal Journey, St. Thomas - Elgin Public Art Centre, St. Thomas, Ontario

2 Person Exhibitions
2007 BODYWORKS, Gallery Lambton, Sarnia. Ontario
1992 Bare Breasts and Bowls, Common Ground Gallery, Windsor, Ontario

Juried Group Exhibitions
2018 “Between Lines,” Laura Woermke, Emily Copeland, and Jaclyn White, Jac’s House,
St. Thomas, ON
2010 A Continuing Celebration of 40 Years of Fine Art at Fanshawe College, The Arts Project,
London, ON
2010 The Sketchbook Project, Home Gallery, Chicago, IL
2010 The Sketchbook Project, Soulard Art Market, Saint Louis, MO
2010 The Sketchbook Project, Art and Shelter Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2010 The Sketchbook Project, 303 Grand, Brooklyn, NY
2010 The Sketchbook Project, Art House Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2008 In Good Company, The Arts Project, London, Ontario.
2006 In Good Company Nascent Dreams The Next Generation of Influence, The Arts Project.
London, Ontario
2006-2003 Paint the Huron Shores, Grand Bend, Ontario.
2006-2003 Look, Gallery Lambton, Sarnia, Ontario. 2001 - Applications
1995 Print Exhibition, Copps Gallery, London, Ontario.

Group Exhibitions
2019 Women’s Day Exhibition, Westland Gallery, London, Ontario.
2015 Museum Gallery, Biograd Na Moru, Croatia
2011 Punto de Contacto, Norte, un concepto, Point of Contact, Concept of North, Centro Provincial
de Artes Plasticas y diseno Santiago de Cuba, Curator Maricel Napoli.
2011 Gallery Show Featuring Laura Woermke and Melanie McDonald, Thielsen Gallery, London,
Ontario.
2010 Mail Me Something, Art House, Brooklyn, New York
2009 Thielsen Gallery at Maggie’s, London, Ontario.
2008 Summer Group Show—Gallery Artists, Thielsen Gallery, London, Ontario.
2005 Save the Children Tsunami Relief Fund, The Arts Project, London, Ontario.
2001-2006 Visual Fringe, London, Ontario.

Awards
2014 McGregor Morris Grant - Art in Public Places
2011 McGregor Morris Grant - Art in Public Places
2007 Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Grant
2006 Suncoast Insurance - Purchase Award
2005 Lambton Heritage Museum - Purchase Award
2003 Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Assistance grant
2001 Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Assistance grant
1999 Short Listed, RBC Great Canadian Printmaking Contest

Representation
Thielsen Gallery, London, Ontario
Michael Hunter Framing, Woodstock, Ontario
Minerva Art Gallery, Aylmer, Ontario

Juror
2019 Hand-Made, CASA, St. Thomas, ON
2014 Red Show, Windjammer, Port Stanley, ON
2012 Arts County Juried Exhibition
2011 Norfolk County Fair, Senior Art Class
2010 Lambeth Art Gallery, Miniature Show and Sale
2010 Portside Gallery, Miniature Show
2009 Visual Elements , Woodstock Art Gallery
2006 Norfolk County Fair, Art Competition

Reviews
Laura Woermke Posing Challenges to the Gallery Space, Centered, July 13, 2018
Challenging the Traditions Nida Home Doherty - September 8, 2016
London Yodeller, Interview with Laura Woermke
The Casserole The Body Issue. Part II. University of Toronto 2013
Secrets behind hidden camera images intrigue, London Free Press, April 16, 2012
Laura Woermke Viewer as voyeur, Beth Stewart, The Beat Magazine, May, 2012
Grey Borders Reading Series, GBRS presents... “Another damn poetry reading” @ NAC Featuring Geof Huth, NF Huth, Angela Szczepaniak + Laura Woermkes Sick Secret, October 1, 2011
A Night We Will Remember, Geof Huth October 2, 2011

Catalogues
Colour Me Happy, St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre, 2017
Mail Me Something, Art House, Brooklyn, New York, 2010
Sick Secrets, 2009
Bodyworks, 2007 Gallery Lambton, Sarnia, Ontario.
Anonymous 2007
Catharsis, 2004 St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre, St. Thomas, Ontario.

Collections
University of Windsor
St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre
Private Collections, Canada, United States
St. Thomas Public Library
North America Railway Hall of Fame
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Artist Publications



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Artist Collections



St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre
University of Windsor
Stephon Dion collection
Private collections ...

Artist Favorites



Personal Favorites



http://www.stepac.ca...