Laura Parker

I am passionate about the creative potential of metal. What attracts me to the working of steel is the exploration of its plastic qualities through direct process; bending, twisting, riveting, joining, etc. There is something sustaining and true about shaping hot metal in much the same way as it was done centuries ago. My work is an exploration of movement or motion. The immediacy and directness of the process encourage spontaneity in my idea development. The forge fire is my "inner center".

My work is usually personal in nature, and emulates my own trials and tribulations as well as my responses to the fragility of human interaction and relationships. Even so, I have been surprised how many of my "musings" are universal. Often as artists we feel we are somehow more sensitive than the rest of the world. In reality, we all have soft underbellies. Some of us just choose to express those thoughts and feelings through art.

I am a tenured professor in the Art Department at American River College in Sacramento, Ca. I find that teaching helps my own work. Conveying my work process and thoughts in an educational environment keeps things fresh.