Wednesday, December 06, 2023
Few creatives on the Rhode Island scene can match the ebullient and colorful personality of local ceramist, painter, and mixed media artist Laura White Carpenter. From her Pawtucket studio, Carpenter creates forms that are full of texture, color, and meditative power. She is an artist to know and an individual who is contributing her own remarkable vision to the local art community.
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Although she is a prolific and accomplished visual artist, Carpenter is mostly self-taught and her creative practice exists alongside her day job as an occupational therapist at Butler Hospital in Providence. Raised just outside New York City, Carpenter studied Psychology and Art Therapy at the College of New Jersey and went on to study Human Development and Family Relations at the University of Connecticut before embarking on a stint with the Peace Corps in Ghana. When she returned to the United States, she studied Occupational Therapy at Boston University and today she imbues her work in the field with her artistic talents.
Carpenter is deeply involved in the local arts community, holding memberships in a variety of organizations, including Plymouth Center for the Arts, Attleboro Arts Museum, Wickford Art Association, and South County Art Association, among others. She is a previous resident of The Steel Yard in Providence and regularly participates in Wickford’s Art Festival and other fairs. Her work is wide-ranging, from voluminous ceramic forms, to edgy steel sculptures, to expressive paintings tinted with metallic pigments.
Asked about the interplay between the various media in which she creates, Carpenter says, “Whether working with clay, metal, found objects or paint, I create layers of texture. My intention is to make art that encourages the viewer to lean in and visually explore. Hopefully get lost in it for a moment. And each time they return to it, I hope that their eyes continue to dance and discover hidden elements. I believe that no matter what media is being viewed, it retains my mark or my brand because it is of me.”
Creating works in a voice that is uniquely her own, Carpenter works out of a studio at 80 Fountain Street in Pawtucket, a converted mill that houses dozens of local artists. Although she has lived on four continents, she has found a home in the Ocean State. Speaking of being a member of the local creative community, Carpenter states, “I blossomed artistically when I arrived in RI 12 years ago. I have lived all over the world and Rhode Island has been by far the most forward-thinking creative community I have experienced. Moreover, the people here are incredibly welcoming and embraced me and my unconventional style from the start.”
Carpenter goes on to say, “The support and welcome I received here truly paved a path for me to foster my individual development within the greater creative capital (using the “a” intentionally). I need to give particular gratitude to The Steel Yard where I was an artist in residence and discovered my love of sculpture and learned the fabrication skills needed to incorporate metal with ceramics. I absolutely hit the lottery when I moved my studio into 80 Fountain Street. Interacting with my fellow artists there has been akin to a modern-day Salon and I am in awe of the amount of incredible art in every form that is being made within those walls.”
Carpenter shows frequently and has seen her sculptures, ceramics, and paintings repeatedly chosen for competitive exhibitions. One of her dynamic and inventive three dimensional works can be seen at a juried sculpture exhibition on view now at Art League Rhode Island’s gallery in the same building that houses her studio. Taking the form of an exploding grenade, the work, titled “Fun’s Over”, is a ceramic sculpture that utilizes metal armatures to convey startling movement and force. In the spring, Carpenter will be featured in an exciting three person show at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River.
Carpenter’s work bears her unique mark of craftsmanship and intuition. It also gives viewers the opportunity to connect with the artist and to learn more about her rich and varied life. Working in the medical field, Carpenter was deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and also sees her artmaking as a form of therapy that has been healing for her. Reflecting on what she hopes for her art career, Carpenter is looking for connection. She says, “I want to make a difference in people’s lives. Having people choose to live with, contemplate and interact with my pieces in their home is an incredible honor. Having my vision shared is my ultimate goal.”
Learn more about Laura White Carpenter on Instagram at @theartistinresidence or on her website www.theartistinresidence.com.
Michael Rose is a multi-talented fine art professional based in Southern New England. Since 2014 he has served as the gallery manager at the historic Providence Art Club, one of the nation’s oldest arts organizations. Through his current freelance work he advises collectors and artists, provides appraisal services, teaches, and completes curatorial projects.
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