Colby-Sawyer College is currently hosting a solo exhibition by San Francisco-based artist Laura Roebuck, an abstract expressionist painter working in oils, in the William H. and Sonja Carlson Davidow '56 Fine Art Gallery at the Davidow Center for Art + Design. The exhibition will run through Oct. 15, 2022. “Laura Roebuck: A Series of Discoveries” features a collection of early works from the artist’s 20-year art career. Roebuck’s abstract and formally composed paintings are vehicles that express color, shape and texture, as well as intuitive and playful exploration. Her work is informed by her innate artistic sensibilities and her years spent as a modern dancer and a psychiatrist.

Roebuck developed a sense of space and movement while training as a dancer. Physically, her paintings reflect a certain awareness of balance, expression and motion that is intimately tied to this history. She continues to negotiate her body in relation to space as she applies swaths of paint to her canvas. Movement is crucial to Roebuck’s process as she shifts canvases around the studio — rotating them or changing their height to gain a better perspective on what gesture the painting needs next.

The works continue to evolve as the artist slowly builds layers and coherence. Some pieces are developed over years as she adds and removes marks, gestures and color. She employs the patience and inquisitiveness she developed as a clinician with an ability to listen to what her body, her mind and her environment are saying. Roebuck holds a close and dynamic relationship with her work.

The result is a body of richly formed paintings that celebrate the accumulations of their previous states of being — just as the artist has done. Her pieces reflect the complexity and depth of a life lived in curiosity and the pursuit of understanding.

“We are truly fortunate to exhibit these abstract paintings by Laura Roebuck. They are beautifully intuitive and a pleasure to experience,” Colby-Sawyer College Professor and Director of the William H. and Sonja Carlson Davidow '56 Fine Art Gallery Jon Keenan said. “Our exhibitions and visiting artist series highlight the creative spirit and directly support the college’s educational mission, our studio art and design programs and new art therapy program, and programs across the college.”

“Laura Roebuck: A Series of Discoveries” runs Aug. 4-Oct. 15, 2022. The public is invited to a reception for the exhibition and artist on Sept. 22 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Davidow Center for Art + Design on the Colby-Sawyer College campus. The William H. and Sonja Carlson Davidow '56 Fine Art Gallery is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.