Artist Profile for Monica L. Laird

Sometimes I paint to share the memory of place.

Sometimes I paint to share the depths of my soul.

And sometimes I paint for the sheer joy of watching color react to my touch.

On a personal level, when I am creating, I truly feel the connection with a greater whole. I feel like I GET IT, although defining what IT is leaves me beyond words. So I create more and see if I can figure it out. Since I believe that art is communication, and that communication by definition requires more than one person, it's important for me to connect with the person viewing my work. I must complete the loop. I must share the energy I feel when immersed in the creative process. I must bring the viewer in to the greater whole with me.

To this end, it is necessary to attract and keep your attention. In order to get your attention in the first place I take great care with my colors. They are the tickets to my ball. They must reach out to you from across the room and take you in. Once inside, I use texture and pattern to choreograph the movement around the work, hoping that your eyes and your spirit are as delighted with the rythym as mine. I expect our dance together to be a time of respite, reflection and retreat. It is a crazy world out there, as we thrash our way through the 21st century. If I can offer you sanctuary with my art, if even for a few moments, I have done my job.

A native of Schenectady, New York, Monica Linville Laird has always had an interest in art. Primarily self taught, she began devoting herself to painting and supporting herself from her work in the late 70's while living in Key West, Florida..

The artist enjoys art in all its expressions and is always open to experimenting with new mediums and techniques. "Experimenting gives me the creative freedom I need." says Laird. "I am moved by different things each day and it is impossible for me to react the same way to each subject I paint. Using various mediums helps me react rather than merely record.".

Renowned as a watercolorist in the Caribbean, the artist has been living in Puerto Rico since 1986. In 2002, the artist returned to her roots and began to work once again with oils and acrylics. Regardless of the medium or the surface, however, the common chord in all her work is her intense color and intriguing texture. The artist believes that the environment of the island is very much reflected in her paintings. The intensity and the complex "tapestries" woven by nature are evident not only in her floral work but in her figure work, abstracts and landscapes as well. She says "Puerto Rico is a small island with an incredible combination of diverse cultures, religions and physical environments, all flourishing together under the canopy of lush tropical foliage. The people themselves offer a social and cultural tapestry as rich and luxuriant as the thick flora covering the land. I try to capture the excitement and intrigue of such complicated dimensions in my paintings.".

Laird has been teaching since 1992. She conducts her "Waterworks" watercolor workshops at her TreeHouse Studio in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, attended by students from around the Caribbean and the United States. Additionally she teaches Creative Watercolor at the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico and 2005 will see the beginning of her workshops in oil painting. She also enjoys working with corporate groups coming to the island, tailoring workshops and projects around their needs.

Laird's work is exhibited internationally and has received a number of honors and recognitions. She is represented by galleries in Puerto Rico, Canada and England.

Shows:

Selected International Exhibitions:
• Le Grand Noms de L'Art Figuratif Contemporain, Quebec, Canada
• International Small Paintings Exhibition, Quebec, Canada
• Symposium Challenge Saguenay, Quebec, Canada
• "Aquafolio" Collective Exhibition, Thessaloniki, Greece
• Salon de Figuration, Montreal, Canada
• Galerie Manseau Annual International Invitational Exhibtion, Montreal, Canada
• "Watermedia VII", Collective Exhibition, Boulder, Colorado
• Western Colorado Watercolor Society International Exhibition, Grand Junction, Colorado
• "Design a Monument" Exhibition of Finalists, Miami, Florida
• "Watercolor ‘94" Collective Exhibition, Ruston, Louisianna

Selected Regional Exhibitions
• "Evolution on Paper", Solo exhibition, Galeria Arte Papel, San Juan, PR
• "Reflections of El Yunque", Solo exhibition, Teatro La Princessa, San Juan, PR
• "Evolution", Solo exhibition, Palmas del Mar Country Club, Humacao, PR
• "Reflections of El Yunque", Solo exhibition, Westin Rio Mar Resort, Rio Grande, PR
• "Man, Woman, Watercolor", 2 Artist exhibition, Galeria Calle Cristo, San Juan, PR
• "Puerto Rico Collective", Atlas Gallery, San Juan, PR
• "Puerto Rico Tapestry" Solo exhibition, Liga de Arte Estudiantes, San Juan, PR
• "El Paraiso" 2 Artist Exhibition, Galeria Arricife, El Conquistador Resort, Fajardo, PR
• "Options", Solo Exhibition, Galeria Gotay, San Juan, PR
• "Waterworks" Student-Teacher exhibition (as Teacher), Liga de Arte Estudiantes, San Juan, PR
• "Waterworks" Student-Teacher exhibition (as Teacher), Galeria Telemundo, San Juan, PR

Associations:

•  Institut des Artes Figuratifs, Canada
• East End Art Guild, Puerto Rico
• Aquanet, Internet watercolor society
• Allied Artists of America, Associate