Mom Tri's Boathouse Phuket Thailand presents "Islands" by Laura Baum

Falcon\'s Flight, one of the art works on show at Mom Tri\'s Boathouse Phuket Thailand

2008-06-21 10:15:53 - Mom Tri's Boathouse Phuket Thailand, is proud to present Laura Baum, accomplished American artist, living in Asia for many years, who has exhibited her ethereal landscape paintings throughout Asia, in Hong Kong, Singapore Taipei, Katmandu, and now for the first time in Phuket, Thailand.

Laura Baum was born in 1963 in New York City, where her weekly explorations to the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a teen fed her love of beauty and art and inspired her to become an artist. She was a student of Chinese artist Diane Kan, a disciple of the revered master Chang Dai Chien (1899-1983). Laura Baum: 'Meeting Mrs. Kan was the most important event of my life. I was so lucky she accepted me as her student; most of her students were much older than me. I worked very hard and soon began to have success in the art world.'

Laura's life in Asia, 10 years in Nepal surrounded by the Himalayas, 3 years in South India and the last 4 years in Phuket, has had a major influence on her work. She says: 'Living in Phuket has inspired a group of paintings called 'Islands'. The relations between the islands become reminiscent of the relations between people. I became fascinated by the islands, the sea and the rocks. The peaks coming out of the water.- How very similar and yet different they are from the Himalayan mountain tops peaking out of the mist and clouds that I've painted during my years living in Nepal.'

'I love to work in a series. I can experiment, try different ideas and examine the endless possibilities in depth.' The materials Laura uses lend profundity and light to her paintings. The gold or silver-leaf boards with a thin layer of rice paper from Japan and the stone and mineral colours such as malachite and lapis lazuli, bring a surprising power to the images.

'Painting the Islands of Phang Nga Province near Phuket, has allowed me to concentrate on composition, colour, and light. I began to learn to sail in September and that experience has added to my work. The changing colours of the water and being surrounded by the elements gave me a deep inspiration and feeling for the space and landscape around Phuket. Strangely, many of these works were painted before I learned to sail. They are like premonitions of those wonderful experiences.'

Laura Baum will also show a few paintings of contemporary Buddhist art that have evolved from her 11 years of collaboration with Nepali Buddhist artist, Chandra Lal Tamang.


Contact: Lisa Sol - PR Manager - Mom Tri's Boathouse
Kata Beach Phuket Tel: 66-76-330015 Fax: 66-76-330561
pr@boathousephuket.com www.boathousephuket.com