GHC Art Gallery

Lauren Napier seeks to add a bit of softness to the world: through melody, palette, or prose. 

Painting is rather new to her artistic realm, but was a natural extension when the world shut down due to the pandemic. No longer touring, the stories had to be shared somehow. Her paintings resemble her melodies: space left upon the canvas to tell a tale between the lines and gentle teaching moments…displaying a clear penchant for the darker threads. Lauren graduated from Bowdoin College, has penned children’s books for Gestalten, taught workshops at Olympia Zine Fest, and worked as a journalist for NPR Berlin among other outlets. Her studies of medieval literature and art echo in the bubbles found in her paintings and the austere representation of Death when confronted. 

Lauren’s “Desert Drought” series was inspired by her time spent living on the Navajo Reservation and meandering on tours through the desert. Raven skulls perch atop saguaros as symbols of sageness lost. Lightbulbs replace sunbeams as humans replaced Nature. Skeletal animals sift through the sand. There are hidden wisdoms in the wizening desert realm.