artist statement and inspiration

“Willow I explores the distinctive and elaborate chinoiserie pattern used on ceramics popular at the end of the 18th century. Developed by English ceramic artists, these patterns combined, and adapted motifs inspired by fashionable hand-painted blue-and-white wares imported from China. “For me however, I just love the following fable that came with the pattern:

Once there was a wealthy Mandarin, who had a beautiful daughter (Koong-se). She had fallen in love with her father's humble accounting assistant (Chang), angering her father (it was inappropriate for them to marry due to their difference in social class). He dismissed the young man and built a high fence around his house to keep the lovers apart. The Mandarin was planning for his daughter to marry a powerful Duke. The Duke arrived by boat to claim his bride, bearing a box of jewels as a gift. The wedding was to take place on the day the blossom fell from the willow tree.

On the eve of the daughter's wedding to the Duke, the young accountant, disguised as a servant, slipped into the palace unnoticed. As the lovers escaped with the jewels, the alarm was raised. They ran over a bridge, chased by the Mandarin, whip in hand. They eventually escaped on the Duke's ship to the safety of a secluded island, where they lived happily for years. But one day, the Duke learned of their refuge. Hungry for revenge, he sent soldiers, who captured the lovers and put them to death. The gods, moved by their plight, transformed the lovers into a pair of doves.” - Lara Scolari

This stunning original artwork on canvas is from the Lara’s ‘Vim Vitae’ Series created in 2019. This current body of work captures the life force that bubbles and bursts invisibly all around us, and burns just as brightly in our body and minds even as we sit still; especially as we sit still. Celebrating our creative energy Lara’s paintings are a reminder that renewal is a constant available to all of us. Her signature organic motifs are conjured into shape with rope and other natural materials and rendered in swirls of ink up to 40 layers deep.

“I create landscapes of life force. tapping into vibrations and responding to the moment."

- Lara Scolari