Michaela McLaughlin
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Artist Statement
My work explores the relationship between an individual and comfort items such as blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals. Personalities are created for the vessels gathered as children and are used to cope with the uncertainties that life can bring. Often these personal possessions are used as an outlet, and we are able to confide in them during our times of need. The vulnerability shown as children with these items is rarely replicated and I strive to bring out these emotions and connections within the work created. In my work, I begin to question the meaning of comfort and how we achieve this feeling, “the easing or alleviation of a person's feelings of grief or distress”. As I continue to experiment with these ideas, I begin to redefine the meaning of comfort through the experimentation and exploration of these concepts.
Lying in a bed wrapped in the covers, tucked in and away from the pressures and strain that growing up takes.
Where do we go to take it away?
Where is our resting place for the living?
The place where all our worries go away.
I sink, I sink in the covers beneath the sheets, between the springs.
Wrapped in a layer of safety.
My friends are here, the ones I tell my secrets to.
The ones who understand my pain, to whom I sing, I laugh, I cry too.
They hold my hand through the pain they catch my tears.
They take it away, take it all away,
I can close my eyes and drift, drift away.
It becomes my escape, showing me what I have forgotten
My friends bring me there,
To a dream of a person, of a place, a moment, or feeling.
As I awaken, I am pulled out slowly.
I remove the blanket, pull away the sheets and hide my friends under the pillow.
I roll myself from the center of the bed to the edge.
Not ready to jump from the cliff before me.
I stand, awake yet tired, upright but tangled in the mess of emotions I begin to bottle.
I can’t wait for the day to end,
So I can crawl back under the covers with my friends.
I’m taking an object from a place where we are most exposed. With influence from various artists such as Mike Kelly, Michael Kempson, and Sheila Hicks, and their wide use of textiles and other mediums; I begin to experiment with a variety of materials and create a bridge between sculpture and painting, breaking the traditional boundaries of a canvas. Directly painting on stretched or draped sheets and pillowcases allow the work to manifest the emotions one feels when wrapped in them. The sheet can be stretched as if it is pulled tightly over a mattress creating tension or layered as though a bed has been freshly made.
Paralyzed in a swarm of emotions.
Surrounded yet completely alone.
I'm awake but definitely dreaming because this doesn’t make sense.
Wrapped, no tucked in so tight I forget, I forget it all.
I slip in and out of the folds of blankets that lie on my bed.
This is where I feel safe.
The paintings are created by using both acrylic and oil paint along with other mixed materials. One of these being spray foam; the use of this material creates more of an interaction between the work and the viewer. Many of the paintings also incorporate charcoal as an underdrawing. This technique gives the painting a more saturated and richer application of color. The prints are made by layering a variety of Chinese papers, and a combination of litho and silkscreen print. Using a combination of different processes and materials allows a connection to form between myself and the work. Much like the connection that can be made with a comfort item.
![A painting of a colorful figure sitting between two groups of dark green hills. The figure sits with one hand over the face. The face of this figure looks as though it is melting off, and the top of the head begins to unwind like ribbon. Butterflies emerge from the head of the figure and are seen throughout the painting. A blue stripped background sits behind the figure while the pattern from the sheet peaks through.](_images/01_michaela-mclaughlin-660x846.jpg)
Unwound // Oil and acrylic on bedsheet // 5 x 4 feet
![A painting of the lower half of a figure sitting on top the moon wearing green pajamas sits in the upper portion of the piece. A cow sits in the lower left corner looking up at the figure. Green hills fill the lower background and the sheet peaks through the foreground. Pink bubble-like forms are seen throughout the upper half of the painting sitting over a dark blue background.](_images/02_michaelamclaughlin-660x853.jpg)
Hey Diddle Diddle // Oil and acrylic on canvas and bedsheet // 5 x 4 feet
![Clouds made from spay foam sit on top of the canvas. Throughout the clouds the words “I panicked” are seen throughout the clouds. The background is painted a light blue and the clouds are painted white with hints of blue.](_images/03_michaela-mclaughlin-660x541.jpg)
I Panicked // Acrylic over spray foam and canvas // 18 x 48 inches
![Circles of different colors and sizes are painted over a green mesh fabric covered in a leaf pattern. On top over the circles is another layer consisting of neutral colored overlapping plant stalks.](_images/04_michaelamclaughlin-660x516.jpg)
Between the Stalks // Oil on printed fabric // 2 x 3 feet
![A dreamscape like painting consisting of peach-colored bubble-like forms flow across a blue background. Round pillow like forms come off the canvas to form a cloud like three-dimensional shape. The neck of a bottle sits in the top left corner.](_images/05_michaelamclaughlin-660x441.jpg)
Champagne Clouds // Oil and acrylic on bedsheet with fabric pillows // 4 x 6 feet
![Spray foam frames a stretched bed sheet in different volumes. The foam it painted a pink flesh color. A sheer curtain lays over the piece tucked in the cracks of the spray foam. The sheer curtain hangs past the bottom of the piece.](_images/06_michaelamclaughlin-660x1413.jpg)
All Tucked In // Oil over spray foam, bedsheet with sheer curtain // 4 x 2 feet
![A zoomed in image of bedsheets hanging on a clothesline. The clothespins can be seen pinching the fabric over the clothesline. This single layer litho print is printed with a warm toned black ink.](_images/07_michaela-mclaughlin-660x522.jpg)
Litho print on arnham paper // 8 x 10 inches
![This litho print consist of two layers printed on separate sheets or a thin semitransparent Chinese turtle shell paper. Each layer Consist of an image of sheets hanging on a clothesline. When layered over one another it creates a sense of depth.](_images/08_michaela-mclaughlin-660x520.jpg)
All on the Line // Litho on turtle shell paper // 16 x 20 inches
![Image of a purple teddy bear surrounded by a light green crescent moon background.](_images/09_michaela-mclaughlin-660x874.jpg)
My Bedtime Friends // Litho and silkscreen on arches paper // 25 x 18 inches
![Image of a pink stuffed rabbit surrounded by a light-yellow star background.](_images/10_michaelamclaughlin-660x878.jpg)
My Bedtime Friends // Litho and silkscreen on arches paper // 25 x 18 inches