Lauren Bonham, an artist from North Texas, uses events of her unstable childhood on the art she creates today, as she began creating art with the intention of taking control of her environment.
I clung onto art in high school, specifically dry mediums like pastel chalk and colored pencil to express how I was feeling.
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She pursued this passion and started at community college, then challenged herself to apply to an art program at the University of North Texas where she achieved her BFA. However, Lauren was in art block for the last two years in school, only making work to get by in class.
It was painful to hate all of my work for years because creating was such a vital part of my expression/identity.
Though, she aimed to change that.
In February of 2022, I had a meeting with my professor, Jim, where I asked if there was anything that could help me create work I was excited about. After a few talks about what is and isn't working, he said ‘Don't be afraid to fuck it up.’
Lauren followed her professor's advice and smeared the lifelike painting with her hand.
I was so anxious doing the action, I took notice of the effects it had. Being a perfectionist most of my life with the need for control because of my lack during childhood was shown to me in that first smear. I continued to practice this as it got me excited for not only my personal growth but also knew others needed this awareness as well.
By Lauren Bonham
She went on to create pieces she was proud of, including, 'Glow on Me'.
The mushrooms in 'Glow on me' symbolize hope rather than the decaying process everyone knows fungi for. Tuning into the idea of 'focusing on the good despite all the bad'. The smearing of the glowing mushrooms indicates the difficulty to hold onto hope when it feels like you're decaying.
