Lara Ivanovic
Lara Ivanovic
Larchmont, NY, United States
About Lara Ivanovic
Traveling through outback Australia, I was struck by the eerie, ghostly quality of the barren landscape, inhabited only by abandoned buildings and rusty cars. I tried to convey this feeling in my paintings by using impressionistic, feathery brushstrokes and blurred edges, to create a sensation of shimmering movement and an aura of mystery. To me, the car wrecks were especially poignant - missing headlights and doors hanging off their hinges were suggestive of broken limbs, the rusty patina and peeling layers of paint on their carcasses were anthropomorphic images reminiscent of a body’s demise. As the vehicles rust, and vegetation grows up through them, or they sink into the red soil, they appear to be reclaimed by the earth. The abandoned buildings make soulful, lonely markers of time in the landscape - they too will disappear. The following series depicts commercial buildings in New York under construction. I was again struck by the haunting quality of these as yet uninhabited structures with their gaping hollows and scaffolding, soon to be masked by windows and doors. A spooky quality remains of what once filled these spaces before they were defined by new frameworks, as well as their future unrevealed, unnamed occupiers. The work comprises two approaches: some have a more sunny, upbeat quality, others possess a gloomy, rainy and rather foreboding aspect. My current work is inspired by abandoned factories and broken-down buildings. The theme of who or what once occupied these huge, haunting spaces fascinates me. I feel this work is a natural progression from my previous subject matter (abandoned, rusty cars in the Australian desert and upstate NY, and buildings under construction in NYC) because the paintings explore mysteries of the past contained within the empty shells of buildings, and an uncertain future. ARTIST BIO I was born in 1967 and raised in London, England. I attended St Martin's School of Art in London and then Rhode Island school of Design, in Providence, graduating in 1989 with a BFA in Illustration. After graduation, I moved to San Francisco and taught in a school for underprivileged children, then pursued my interest in book arts. I returned to London in 1992 and worked as an illustrator, graphic designer and art director for magazines, corporate identity and publications. I then took a trip around the Australian outback in 1999, and was so inspired by the landscape and way of life there that I decided to move to Sydney. This was the first time I was able to paint full time and it was a revelation. I was represented in Sydney by several galleries who showed my paintings of abandoned rusty vehicles. These works were very well received and I sold over 70 pieces in 3 solo shows and numerous group shows, and had a lot of favorable press coverage. I moved to the United States in 1995, and have exhibited my works in a Chelsea gallery, at Silvermine Arts Guild, and various other regional galleries in the States since then. I live in Westchester County, NY, with my family.
Education:
1985-6: St Martin's School of Art, London, England
Foundation course
1986-9: Rhode Island School of Design, Providence RI,
BFA Illustration
Exhibitions:
2017 - The Studio, New Hope, PA - Group show
2017 - Mayson Gallery, NY, NY - Group show
2017 - Mayson Gallery, NY, NY - Group show
2017 - Affordable Art Fair, NY, NY - The Art Movement, London gallery
2016 - Mayson Gallery, NY, NY - Full Circle, Five years of Mayson Gallery - Group show
2016 - Linus Galleries, Pasadena, CA - "On the move" and "Americana" Group shows2015 - EOSS Gallery, Providence RI - Solo show
2015 - Farmington Libraries' Spring Art Show - Farmington, CT - Group show
2015 - Carriage Barn Arts Center, New Canaan, CT - "Va Va Vroom! The Art of the Vehicle" - Group show
2015 - Silvermine Arts Guild, New Canaan, CT - "Signed, Sealed and Delivered" - Group show
2104 - Deserted Art Gallery, Southampton, NY - Group show
2014 - Curtis Gallery, New Canaan Library, Connecticut - "Abandonment" - Solo show
2013 - Silvermine Arts Guild, New Canaan, Connecticut - Group show
2012 - Open Studios, 82 Centre Ave, New Rochelle, NY
2011 - Open Studios, 82 Centre Ave, New Rochelle, NY
2009 - Federation of Canadian Artists, Vancouver, BC - "Painting on the Edge" - Group show
2009 - The LoDi Project, Raleigh, NC - "Architectural Spaces" - Group show
2009 - Atlanta Fine Arts League, GA - "Observations" - 3rd Annual Juried Exhibition - Group show
2009 - Atlanta Artists' Center and Gallery, GA - 6th Annual AAC National Show - Group show
2009 - Southern Appalachian Artists' Guild, Blue Ridge Mountains Art Association: Honorable Mention Award in 2D - Group show
2008 - Allen Sheppard Gallery, 530 W 25 St, NY, NY - Group show
2006 - Silvermine Arts Guild, New Canaan, Connecticut - Group show
2005 - Harris Courtin Gallery, Sydney, Australia - Solo show
2004 - Harris Courtin Gallery, Sydney, Australia - Group show
2004 - Norville Prize exhibition, NSW, Australia - Group show
2003 - Harris Courtin Gallery, Sydney, Australia - Solo show
2002 - Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award, NSW, Australia: touring Australia’s regional galleries - Group show
2002 - Harris Courtin Gallery, Sydney, Australia - Group show
2001 - Soho Galleries, Sydney, Australia - Solo and Group shows
1999 - The Boathouse Gallery, London, England - Group show
1998 - Whiteley’s Gallery, London, England - Group show
1997-98 - Great Western Studios, London, England - Open Studios