November 9 - December 4, 2024
From Dock Space Gallery:
“Jayne Lawrence is a mixed media artist specializing in sculpture and drawing. She spent the early part of her career as a commercial artist in Denver, Colorado and relocated to San Antonio, Texas in 1983. She received her MFA in Sculpture from the University of Texas at San Antonio where she taught until her retirement in 2021.
The three key recurring elements in Lawrence’s work are the human figure, insects and architectural components. Lawrence says “I start from a place of knowing and end in a place of discovery, transformed.”
Lawrence has received awards from the International Sculpture Center in Hamilton, New Jersey, and completed a two-month residency at Sculpture Space in Utica, New York. LA-based, independent curator and critic Michael Duncan selected her to represent South Texas artists in a solo exhibition as part of the 2009 Texas Biennale, and again in 2013, as part of the fifth anniversary of selected past Biennial artists. In 2014, Lawrence ventured into Guatemalan jungle as part of her research for a solo exhibition at the Southwest School of Art in 2015. In October of 2022, she participated in a three-month residency through the Blue Star Contemporary Berlin Residency Program/Künstlerhaus Bethanien International Studio Program.
Lawrence’s work has been included in numerous exhibitions including, among others:
International Sculpture Center, Hamilton, NJ, University of New Mexico Art Museum, Albuquerque, NM, Laredo Center for the Arts, TX, Art Museum of South Texas Institute for the Arts, Corpus Christi, TX, Art Alliance Center at Clearlake, TX, McNay Art Museum and Southwest School of Arts, San Antonio, TX. Her work is in private collections through out the United States and housed in the permanent collections at Texas State University.
Artist Statement:
Imagine standing on a bustling city street, surrounded by strangers. Suddenly, like ants following an invisible trail, you become acutely aware that each person around you has a life as rich and complex as your own. This phenomenon is called sonder, a term coined by John Koenig in The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, describing the realization that every individual carries their own unique story.
For years, my work has centered on creating systems—environments inhabited by diverse characters who define and enrich their communities. Each character has a story.
The work displayed at Dock Space delves into the emotions of the outsider longing to be part of a community. Inspired by the poignant language and empathy in John Koenig’s text, I have selected key concepts and paired them with my own symbolic language to explore the universal nature of these emotional experiences.
In my work, the spider represents the instinctual, unconscious drive toward individualism. Spiders are solitary creatures. Their webs, often found blocking passageways, are tools for survival. In dream psychology, these webs can serve as a visual message board, symbolize conflict, or serve as a warning. Due to their predatory nature and painful bite, spiders have become one of the most feared creatures.
Ants, in contrast, exist in large, cooperative colonies. They symbolize “the other”—creatures that, though they share certain traits with us, are fundamentally different. Ants live within intricate social structures with strong divisions of labor, building homes, caring for their young, disposing of their dead, and solving problems together. Yet, unlike humans, ants lack emotions and a sense of self. An isolated ant cannot survive; its behaviors are entirely altruistic, driven by the needs of the collective. Their survival depends on this sociability, presenting a stark contrast to the individualism that often shapes human behavior.
In recognizing sonder, we see that our individual stories contribute to a larger tapestry of human experience. Most humans believe that they are unique, that their problems and experiences are theirs alone. Yet, with nearly 8 billion people in the world, it’s improbable that our emotions are as singular as we might think. My exploration of the outsider through the contrast of the solitary spider and the cooperative ant highlights the balance between individuality and community. As John Donne famously wrote, “No man is an island.” Embracing our interconnectedness fosters empathy and strengthens our relationships.
Opening Reception is Saturday, November 9th, 2024 from 6-9pm as part of the Second Saturday Artwalk in the Lone Star Art District. Closing Reception Wednesday, Dec 4th, 2024. 107 Lone Star Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78204. The exhibition is up through Dec 4th and the gallery is open by appointment. Call Bill FitzGibbons at 210-723-3048 to view outside of the reception times.”
Reception: November 9, 2024 | 6–9 pm
Closing: December 4, 2024 | 5–8 pm
107 Lone Star Blvd.
San Antonio, 78204 Texas
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