This Month’s Art Fair Delight: Dawn LaGrave

I met Dawn LaGrave at the Brookside Art Fair in Kansas City, and was immediately blown away by her artwork. As a paper sculptor, I responded to the dimensionality of her work. And as an artist, I found the rhythmic abstractions of the images both fascinating and beautiful.

Here's a detail of LaGrave's Ste. Chapelle piece, showing the 3-D aspect.

I couldn’t wait to get inside her display and take a closer look at the work. These pieces would reward viewing again and again over time. One of my tests for “would I live with this piece?” is how well I think it would reward repeated viewing. I believe these images would stand up to that test beautifully.

LaGrave's Pink Dahlia is an eye-popper for sure.

If you agree with me that this is way cool work, you can see a much larger variety of images on Dawn’s website and her Facebook page. If you’re curious about her technique, she explains her process on her website.

Here's an idea of how she uses source photos. Very sorry--I couldn't find the name of this piece.

Here's what LaGrave did with a cactus photo.

The source photo was pretty interesting, but LaGrave's treatment takes it to a whole new level.

Dawn is one of those aesthetic beings who did not go to art school. She made a practical living in the corporate world of health insurance, until the urge to “do something more creative” with her life became an overriding need. As she explains in her “About the Artist” page, she brings her love of “geometry, angles and symmetry” to each piece, but she also enjoys bringing “a different perspective of actual places and things, to which people may have a strong connection.”  

This piece is based on a photo of the Smith Tower in Seattle, WA.

It’s better to see original artwork in person. Please look for Dawn at an art fair near you! Check her website for a list of upcoming appearances. 

The source photo is of Notre Dame de Paris.

If you’d like to buy some of her artwork, but she’s not scheduled to be at a show near you soon, she offers online purchasing options on her Facebook page, her website, and her catalog on ISSUU.

My friends who are sf fans will recognize the T.A.R.D.I.S. in this image.

IMAGE CREDITS: All artwork featured in this post is the work of Dawn LaGrave, and the images are posted with her permission. These artworks and others may be seen and purchased on her Facebook page, her website, and her catalog on ISSUU. A visit there will be time well spent!