Check Out Laura Clay’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Clay.

Hi Laura, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story really starts when my grandmother, Mary Clay, decided to leave her home of Fort Worth, Texas and move to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico to study Art and Spanish. During her time there, she met and married a Mexican attorney, Francisco Hernández. Dividing their time between Mexico and the US, they created the bicultural Mexican American family I have today. She would paint places and people depicting her travels between Mexico and the US and her bicultural family.

“They tell stories of raising a family among the legends and traditions, art and history, music and romance of what was then a very foreign land. The colors reflect the impact of Mexican folk art, traditional costumes, brightly colored houses and bougainvillea. The layers of oil paint suggest the many memories hidden in the mountains.” These words always stuck with me. Watching her paint and my own travels between both countries inspired me to pursue my own passion for the arts at a very young age. I followed in her footsteps studying my Bachelors of Fine Art at Texas Christian University and was fortunate to paint by her side for many years. I inherited her eye for color along with some of her old brushes, which I still use to this day!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Biculturalism plays an inarguable role in my identity and art practice. With the celebration of dual citizenship and ethnic flexibility, I am given the opportunity to engage two different cultures. However, biculturalism and the process of acculturation can bring a confusing duplicity and sense of displacement — a sense of not belonging here nor there. My investigation and art practice intervene at this crux, examining how race and ethnicity intersect in the identity of Mexican Americans throughout different situations, locations, and stages of life.

As a Mexican American that grew up in the US and Mexico, I found myself asking questions regarding my place in both societies. As an artist, these questions have presented themselves in my paintings. In order to understand these lingering queries and better depict them in my artwork, I attained my Masters of Fine Arts degree from The National Art School in Sydney, Australia. I researched topics regarding the history of Mexico and the US and the psychology behind bicultural identity. I continue to explore the concept of Mexican American biculturalism through the relationship of organic and geometric forms in abstract painting.

My exploration of the influences of biculturalism within abstract painting creates a bridge over the waves of conflict between my two identities. The relationship between organic and geometric forms provides a tangible platform where I can express my inner dialogue, the personal battle between my Mexican and American heritage. My research in Mexican American psychology allows me to better appreciate and understand my grandmother’s expression of living in both Mexico and the US.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Through my visual art practice, I magnify the corridors of each of my cultures and the identities tied to each. The exploration of shape and color gradation creates a bridge over the waves of conflict between my American and Mexican cultures allowing a constant dialogue between organic vs geometric, chaos vs order, fiesta vs structure.

Abstract painting depicts my inner juggling of selves while staying true to my ancestry. Looking to Abstract Expressionism, I find liberation through intuition, and within Color Field painting, I find meaning and order in an abstract construction of solid blocks of color. My artwork invites diverse interactions between playfulness and restriction. The interaction, distinction and merging of organic and geometric forms indicate an acceptance and celebration of my bicultural identity.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Now residing in Austin, Texas I am a member of atxGals, a female-based organization that aligns with women issues and empowerment and will be a featured Changarreando Artist at Mexic-Arte Museum. I continue to have exhibits both nationally and internationally in Mexico and Australia.

Contact Info:

• Email: lauraclayart@gmail.com
• Website: www.lauraclayart.com
• Instagram: @lauraclayart
• Facebook: @lauraclayart
• Twitter: @lauraclayart