'Lauren Shields recent exhibition at The Glass Onion saw a fantastic response from visitors.The work was part of the Exhibit:U project initiated by Gary Law last year.
Her work is bold, simple and fresh. Spacious in colour and composition yet the subject is always shown directly. Whether it is a grimy image showing modern life behind the curtains, or a simple and timeless image of flowers, there is nothing in the image that is unnecessary.
The work was very well presented and had an overall sense of harmony. The images moved from detailed shots of plugs, piled up ready for recycling, to the disused detail of a fire engine, also awaiting recycling and beautifully segued into a inspiring image of a dilapidated brick wall with a beautiful vista of a dreamlike landscape; lush greens married to an eternal blue sky. This was one of the most popular images in the show, people couldn't wait to get a copy of it!
There were also enigmatic shots of a Mansion in France and rural pathways in the countryside outside of Bolton. Both these images were wonderful exercises in the art of composition and had an elusive nature about them, they could have been taken anywhere.
Lauren is a young photographer who I am sure will go far. An industrious and conscientious 17 year old Lauren is studying at Peterborough Regional College doing Photography and Art 'A' Levels (A2) and a City & Guilds in Photography and is hoping to start a degree in September.
Lauren's Father died when she was just 7 years old. He was a graphic designer by trade but also was a keen artist and photographer and she grew up with his paintings and pictures around her. It was this work of her father that started her love affair with imagery and image making.
When she was very young she walked around with disposable cameras and simple roll-film cameras taking pictures of whatever was around. Nowadays she uses either a Nikon D50 (with either a standard lens or a Macro 105mm) or a Nikon F80d film camera. When using film Lauren's preferred make is Ilford's Pan-F ISO 50. A black & white fine-grain film that compliments the crisp composition of her pictures. All the pictures in show were taken on the D50, digital images with very little work in Photoshop. Lauren loves working in the darkroom and uses Photoshop as she would use the darkroom.
What I liked most about the work on show was that she doesn't over intellectualise the image. She does a lot of her work un-planned, relying on her intuition. She uses her subtlety and a lightness of touch to respond to her surroundings, taking the image on the “spur of the moment”. Laurens focus is on the composition. When I ask her why she loves photography so much she tells me it is because strong images can talk to all of us, Lauren flips through her notebook to find a favourite quote of hers that illustrates this sentiment better, aha here it is she smiles; “good photography should transcend the barriers of language and nationality”.
Lauren became known for her photography when she started taking pictures of local bands, some of them being published in this magazine, but at the moment she is finding the work on her personal projects more rewarding. I asked her what she would like to be doing in the future, serenely and modestly she replies that she would like to have more exhibitions and more of her work published, perhaps owning a coffee shop with her photographs and jewellery etc. for sale, ..............she quite gracefully says she's not really sure, she'll use her intuition and “go with the flow.” '
by Luke Payn
First published in Art & Soul Magazine in May 2008
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