Lauren R. Lyde

About the Artist

Lauren R. Lyde is a realist painter whose work considers the full range of human sentiment involved in forming meaningful interpersonal relationships. She obtained a BS in Visual Communication from Towson University. Lyde studied Illustration at Pratt Institute and Exhibition Design at the Corcoran School of Art before earning a MFA in Community Arts from Maryland Institute College of Art. She currently works as a teaching artist for a non profit arts organization in the city of Baltimore.     

Artist's Statement

In my studio practice, I create works that evoke the wonder and exploration of childhood as a starting point to draw attention to the social and political realities of children today. Using figurative paintings and drawings of children in their daily activities, I seek to challenge the idea that some children are more deserving than others.  My portraits are created to be all but synonymous with the growing pains of childhood: those distinct yet universal feelings of joy, pain, curiosity, and triumph as young people travel on the road to self-actualization. Each piece is conceptualized to elicit an emotional response, a curiosity about and a sense of connectedness to all youth regardless of their life’s circumstances.   For young viewers, the work expands their perception of the arts and of themselves as valued community members. The experience I hope adult audiences will have is one of reflection and action, i.e., to consider what they are able to do personally within their respective communities to provide young people with opportunities to reasonable life chances. I work in a variety of mediums; oil, pastel, graphite and charcoal on substrates that include canvas, wood, metal and plexiglas. References for the work are selected from photographs documenting the lived experiences of children.