Laura Kissinger

A little about the artist

I am what I am
sometimes challenging
sometimes supporting
sometimes cheering
frequently confused
always hoping

Once described as "just a housewife type"
Think that everyone is more than their "just a"

Wife
Mother
Daughter
Imperfect
Friend to some, pain in the rear to others
Too gray for my age and tired of hiding it
Too heavy for my "frame" and tired of worrying over it
Pack-rat
Loved "chabby chic" and "Trash to treasure" before it was trendy

When asked "where I come from", just say everywhere.
Have lived north, south, east, west and across the ocean.
Lived in rural Martinsville long enough to call it home.
What I like best, besides the scenic beauty, are the people.
People, who for the most part, are deeply caring and accepting of others.
And boy am I and other!

I have always been different, and the "labels" rarely fit.
Haven't had art class since middle school, but did buy a color wheel.
Tossed it because it kept disagreeing with me!
Have always felt sparked by "pretty", but my idea of pretty does not always fit the norm.
Even though my life is filled with soothing earth colors
when I paint and color, it is always "ice cream sky", flower garden and tropical beach...

I am what I am
Changing always with the stages and phases of my life.
Cringing at the harshness
Clinging to the hope and beauty of the world.
I paint pretty and cheerful and hopeful, because that is what pleases me.
Anything other gets tossed.
I could paint something that represents the potholes of my life
But that's no fun.
When I am finished painting something, be it tree bark, wall, chair or canvas,
It must make me feel happy or peaceful
Hoping that is what others will feel.

Lunch Ladies
The latest of my "Chairs for Schools" project. The underappreciated Lunch Ladies. Ladies who work hard in a small, hot kitchen. Balancing menus, calories, nutrients, budgets, all the while trying to please our children. They deserve more than a chair to rest on, but that is all I have to give.

Kitty Chair
One of the first chairs I painted. A special gift for a child who lives life as it should be lived, To The Max!

Fish Chair
With fish on front, tropical flowers on back, and my back yard on the sides. I did nothing to disguise the puppy chews on rocker feet, for it always seems to be the fate of rockers.

Laura Kissinger

lk1955@earthlink.net