'Always take the pretty road': Painter Laurie Clements gives back the beauty she sees
Color and joy in abundance can be found in Laurie Clements’ floral, landscape, seascape and abstract paintings.
The Westerville artist, a cancer survivor, paints in oils and acrylics and with enthusiasm for her subjects – vases of big-blossom flowers, pathways into the woods and over sand dunes, and even the woodland scene at the end of her driveway. An exhibit of many of her recent works can be found at Hayley Gallery in New Albany.
“Laurie paints with joy and she brings that joy to the canvas,” said gallery owner Hayley Deeter. “She has a gift, and she says, if I have this gift, I have to share it.”
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Clements, 65, has shared her paintings in many ways. In 2020, during the protests following the murder of George Floyd, Clements joined with artists Brenden Spivey and Will Wong Yee to paint large murals Downtown on Capitol Square.
Recently, she donated the proceeds from the sale of one of her paintings to the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, in honor of a friend with cancer. The painting, the woodland scene “Stand By Me,” is part of the Hayley Gallery exhibit. And, remembering her own chemotherapy, Clements established Locks and a Lift, a foundation that provides cancer patients with wigs and rides home from their chemo treatments.
Clements, originally from Newark, Ohio, graduated from and has taught at the Columbus College of Art & Design. She has been represented by the Hayley Gallery for about 14 years.
She lives with her husband, Tom Clements, in Westerville, where she maintains a home studio and paints constantly. She said she feels edgy and out of sorts when she hasn’t painted. She works quickly, applying paint with brushes, spatulas and, sometimes, her fingers.
She said she enjoys shifting back and forth between representational and abstract art, finding that the tension from that movement makes her bolder and improves her paintings.
Only a few of the works in the exhibit are abstract, including the warm color study “All a Flutter.”
Crowd-pleasing florals include “Iris,” a large blue-green scene of flowers; brassy sunflowers in “Ready, Set, Pose;” and the rose and orange blooms in “Floral Forward.”
Clements is particularly adept at capturing pathways, whether they are heading into the woods or toward the ocean. “Biltmore Azaleas” and “Biltmore Spring Shadows,” with their inviting greenery and blossoms, each make viewers want to walk into the painting. As Clements said, “Aren’t we all going somewhere?”
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In her artist statement, Clements writes that she likes to “always take the pretty road.”
She continues to elaborate on why she opts for creating works that capture the lovely landscapes that surround her: “Even if it takes more time, it is better for the heart and soul to soak in all the natural beauty that is before us, and notice shifts in color, shape and atmosphere.”
Clements is an artist who gives back much of the beauty from what she sees around her.
At a glance
“Laurie Clements: Land and Sky” continues through Dec. 7 at Hayley Gallery, 260 Market St., Suite B, New Albany. Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Call 614-855-4856 or visit localohioart.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Laurie Clements' paintings reflect beauty of natural environment
