Biography
Born in Los Angeles, California.
1965, a year after the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état, Laura's mother went to the Amazon region in Brazil to work with Laura’s grandfather. He had left San Francisco in the 1930's and now ran a diamond mine operation in the Tocantins River. She brought Laura and her two brothers to Belém do Pará--a colonial city located where the Amazon basin broadens out and pours into the Atlantic Ocean.
1970's - Ink and watercolor became Laura's preferred materials. The Amazon region is an aquatic labyrinth; an infinite network of rivers fanning out in every direction. Laura traveled the rivers. "The constant flow of the water and the lush vegetation inspire my creations."
1980's- Laura studied contemporary dance at the University of the State of Pará, experiencing spatial abstraction for the first time, which influenced her paintings. Working with Art Director Simon Holland on the feature "Emerald Forest" she ventured into film. Laura left Brazil in 1985 for California and, in 1987, after 10 months in Alaska, she gave form to the "Tranas" series (passing through water): "I went in gradually, moving closer to my object until there were only lines. A vast sense of space came upon me."
1988/90 - In Japan, Laura explored textiles, Zen brushwork, and the art of Shiatsu. After a period painting in Munich, Laura returned to Belém. "I wander in a continuous undulated spiral, revisiting and recreating my work anew."
1990's - Belém: Laura worked, participated in art salons, and taught art to underprivileged teens at the Curro Velho Art Foundation.She expanded her media to include video installations, salvaged wood, ice, and stones. Her paintings were described as chromatically luminous, with soft yet solid architectonic cells that hover within the woven cloth.
2000's – After a group show in Manhattan, Laura established a studio there and divided her time between Belém and New York. Laura produced several site-specific installations, such as ”Transit Tempo" in collaboration with the Central Park Conservancy to celebrate "Earth Day.” In that piece, a circle of 18 massive blocks of ice filled with flowers, pods, leaves and branches, melted over the course of 36 hours at Central Park's Turtle Pond.
In 2004, Laura started experimenting with inverted colored photography printed on various materials.
Bringing her personal and family histories full circle, in 2008, Laura relocated to San Francisco.
