Laura Tringali Holmes

I make works of collage using layers of remnant imagery to explore issues of society and family life overlaid with themes of hope, courage, and the healing power of memory. I re-contextualize discarded material—much of it from between the late 1800s and the 1950s—and from it bring forth works that amalgamate the old and new, the provocative and proverbial. You can read my collages as a progression of layers, with each layer adding deeper meaning to the narrative; much of my work contains visual clues that can lead an observant viewer on an interpretative journey. Associations may be embedded in color, texture, imagery, or words. Transparent elements often act as viewfinders, focusing attention on the inner workings of the subject at hand. I use décollage in the same way--for depth, texture, and the surprise of discovery upon close observation. In the décollage process, papers are carefully layered and then selectively abraded by hand. I work so meticulously that I can often coax the ink off old papers onto my new works to achieve painterly effects. But what looks like paint, isn’t. It’s simply residue, like a wisp of a long-ago memory.

I have been working in collage since Spring of 2009. My work has been well received, travelling to exhibitions across the United States and abroad, and being used to illustrate various books of literature and poetry. My first solo show occurred in 2010, in the capital of New York State, where 28 of my works were grouped under the title "The Strange, the Surreal, & the Sentimental." Currently I work full time as an artist, but past career iterations have included over two decades in publishing as an editor, writer, manager, and consultant. I've also developed writing programs for underachieving teenagers in New York City public schools and piloted those programs in the classroom with great success. I live and work just outside of New York City.