Laura Smith British, 1980

'Still life allows me the greatest freedom to express my emotions. The placement, manipulation and gesture of the objects, as well as how they interact with one another, is a big driving force for me.

The objects become anthropomorphic as they relate to each other and the spaces I create for them. I reach towards both peopled narratives and abstraction, knowing that the way I depict an object can dissolve its familiarity. 

I love the word theatrical used in relation to my painting. To me, a theatre is somewhere that transports the audience to a semi-fantastical world where the props are transformed into real, magical objects. For example, a simple hoop might become a portal, or a chair a carriage. In my paintings, I aim to elevate the ordinary things around us and imbue them with significance.'