See Her New Work at The Balboa Island Artwalk
Laura Parker is not new to surviving through struggle. She has been battling a rare, progressive disease called Sarcoidosis for the past 17 years. Nor is she unfamiliar to the ravages of pandemics. She was at the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, volunteering alone in the largest AIDS orphanage in Khayelitsha, South Africa.
But the COVID pandemic has been especially difficult for her. Being immunocompromised, Laura went into extreme isolation starting March 1, 2020, after her doctors told her that she would likely not survive COVID. She did not have human contact for 14 months. Laura could only peer out of her second floor window to thank the neighbors for groceries. After 2 years, groceries are still being delivered and wiped down.
This extreme isolation and stress took a psychological and physical toll. Laura says, “At times, I simply miss the feeling of a hug.” Not having human contact along with the dreaded daily news feed gave me PTSD, panic, and insomnia. I’ve seen how my isolation has caused my dog Henri Matisse to have severe separation anxiety.”
Through all of this, Laura’s perseverance to survive has pulled her through the dark days, as she has done for decades. As an Abstract Expressionist, she went back to her art to find refuge. She released her fear, loneliness, grief and sense of loss onto the canvas.
Out of this, Laura created the 10 piece COVID-19 Series as the virus took over, and shows how our world changed with it.
Laura’s humanitarianism is now expressed in her art. Many of her pieces have a social conscience; trauma, violence, injustice, discrimination, etc. You can feel the overwhelming emotion and energy coming through her paintings. They are raw, honest and vulnerable.
“As an Abstract Expressionist,” she says, “what I create is purely intuitive and subconscious. It comes from being deeply moved by something and the inability to change it. Typically, they are feelings of sadness, anger, or grief by what I see in the news. By expressing and releasing those feelings onto the canvas, I’m not carrying them with me.”
After persevering through the psychological toll of extreme isolation for over 2 years, Laura has decided to emerge through her art at the Annual Balboa Artwalk, Sunday, May 15. Although she still carries the risk of getting severely ill from being in contact with others, she decided that connecting with community is worth pursuing. Laura says, “I have a strong desire to share my art, my story and teach others creative self-expression and healing through art.” With COVID restrictions being lifted, she acknowledges that “the gulf between me and the rest of society is widening.” As she ponders how she will live in a post-pandemic world, she chooses to do more than just survive. Laura chooses to live.
You can see more of Laura’s work at www.lauraparkerartist.com or Instagram @lauraparkerartist125