the Artwork of LL LePere
Artist Statement
Intention & Influence
I create for the joy of it. But there’s a bit more to it than that…
Trained as an anthropologist/archaeologist and a geologist—and being a birder and a compulsive traveler—I am fascinated by the diversity of both human cultures and the natural world. I am also very concerned about the future of both.
Change is inevitable. As a geologist, I can be confident that the planet and life in some form will persist and evolve no matter what we humans do. But I believe choices we make now will determine if that future is bright or bleak for the forms of life that currently inhabit this world.
So, beyond simple joy, I want to convey my appreciation of the natural world and the many cultures than inhabit it. My hope is that my work will ignite curiosity; that you will think about things that are not familiar to you or see something new in things that are familiar. Perhaps you may even be moved to help preserve something of our planet’s natural and cultural history.
Process
My mixed media work often includes polymer clay: the modeling equivalent to acrylic paint. It captured my imagination many years ago because of the wide range and richness of color, the multitude of textural possibilities, and the way it accepts a variety of surface treatments.
Often considered just a child’s plaything, the medium’s use by accomplished artists has been growing over the years. To elevate my work to that higher level, I have been studying a range of traditional art media and the basics of art. My original intent was to improve my clay pieces. But recently I find myself exploring various ways combining polymer clay with 2-D media.
The challenge is to create unity between the flat and the 3-D. My approach so far is experimental and based on intuition. Ideas must sometimes be abandoned, and things can turn out quite differently than I originally envisioned. Perhaps I will eventually develop a consistent process but at this point it’s very much a journey.