“Blouse an skirt!,” oil on linen, 40 x 50 inches. All images © Amy Laskin, shared with permission
Through ethereal oil paintings, artist Amy Laskin juxtaposes decorative fashions and organic beauty. Thick bunches of hydrangeas, lilies, and wispy ferns spring from elaborate, beaded dresses and corsets, which swell into fully formed garments and shroud the works with an unearthly and enchanting aura. Each piece is figurative but non-representational, a decision Laskin shares stems from the idea that “nature is anonymous. She needs no name. She is everything.”
The artist’s studio is located in the Blue Mountains in Jamaica, the place she’s drawn inspiration from since moving to the island as a Peace Corps volunteer years ago. You can find more of Laskin’s work that’s brimming with the flora native to the region on her site and Artsy.
“Grand Stand,” oil on linen, 19.5 X 15.5 inches
“Haute Couture and Mother Nature Marry,” oil on board, 24 X 21 inches
Left: “Up Rooted,” oil on linen, 17 X 14 inches. Right: “Rooted in Her Story,” oil on linen, 17 X 14 inches
“Flora and Furbelow,” oil on linen, 45.5 X 45.5 inches
Left: “Red and Green,” oil on linen, 12 x 12 inches. Right: “Flora’s Duppy,” oil on linen, 40 x 30 inches
“Bodice and Botany,” oil on linen, 40 X 50 inches