In October, artist Angelique Luro built a new studio at her home. She had been painting in a studio at the Pepperell Mills in Biddeford, but decided she was happier painting at home with all her animals around me. 

“The new studio is a well-organized, light-filled space with views of the pasture and the woods on the NW sides of the studio,” explains Luro. “The project began in October and was completed by mid-December. On the first day I started working in the space, I promised myself that freedom would be at the forefront of my mind.”

Thus, her deep desire for freedom in her work heavily influenced the pieces she painted for the Abstraction exhibit. 

“They were the first pieces I made in my new space, and being in a comfortable and happy place has helped me push my art practice deeper,” says Luro. “I experimented with color palettes, creating a sense of spaciousness and a desire to translate our feelings when we’re in a place/space where our nervous system seems to relax and where we feel free.”

The 24x18 paper on panels resulted from ideas blossoming in the middle of the night. Luro would wake up and write down her moments of genius. Sometimes these ideas came from wanting to incorporate certain textural elements. 

“3 AM kept us awake a few times; I love this piece; it feels good,” tells Luro. “Then came Rapture, which again woke me on several occasions until I worked out the composition and the values in the work. After that came Harbour of Longing, another panel, which was also influenced by the sense that peacefulness had been interrupted, and I longed for peace.”

This show also has a sense of playfulness, especially in He Walked In Like He Owned the Place. 

“This painting is about a mouse who came into my tiny studio while waiting for the new studio to be built. The mouse seemed to think I was invading his space, really not phased by my presence,” says Luro.

The small totems in the show were again her way of playing, seeing if she could paint these small totems. 

“It was challenging to make the compositions work. I love them, each one began next to the other with similar color palettes, but morphed as each began to find its voice. Ultimately, I loved them more than the larger totems I’ve painted. They work everywhere you hang them.”

Now for Wild Hairs. These are the panels where she let herself say precisely what she felt. 

“Voo Doo Woman…I was singing to the top of my lungs, waving my arms in the air, and feeling empowered as a woman, with strength, determination, and fearlessness,” she says. “GAME, feeling sick and tired of the games, an acknowledgment that we see you, we know what this is, let’s go. Then, Missing Pieces combines three paintings I worked on but couldn’t get the compositions right. So, I cut them up and put them back together in an interesting composition. I loved how this piece came out.”

The big one for Luro is Missed Connections. She worked on this painting recollecting those connections in her life that she misses, whether it be a friendship, a place, or a feeling—all of those things we lose track of throughout our lives but never forget.