You know when you see something so detailed that you think, "How is this even possible. how can a human do something like that?" Well, that’s basically Laurie Lipton's art—she’s the master of pencil drawings so detailed it makes your brain weep.
She doesn’t do cuddly kittens or sunsets, no. Laurie goes for the kind of surreal, slightly eerie images that make you feel uneasy. Faces that appear unnervingly realistic, crowds that seem just a step away from a zombie apocalypse, and an abundance of dark shadows. And her weapon of choice? the humble pencil, that's all, just a pencil and plenty of patience.
Laurie's art goes beyond just creating beautiful images. She has a lot to express about the world, humanity, and the chaos of living in it. She explores themes like technology, identity, and power in a uniquely unconventional manner. Rather than loudly voicing her opinions like an internet troll, she crafts intricately detailed dystopian worlds that make you think, "Hmm, that's exactly how I envision the future... but with better artwork."
One thing I love about Laurie’s work is the way she uses contrast, beauty and horror, elegance and chaos, the surreal and the all-too real. You look at her art and it feels like you could just step into it. One minute you’re admiring the delicate folds of someone’s clothing, and the next, you’re staring into the eyes of a grotesque figure that belongs in a nightmare.
Here is an interesting and very frank documentary about Laurie by James Scott, it gives you a better picture of her than I can here.
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