Habitats - Laura Abrams - Ever Present, 2022

12 x 12 x 1", Foil, paper, glitter, found images, gold pen, colored pencil, and redwood bark finished with cold wax

Somehow, this could never be a composition about adorable bunnies. Perceived as cute and calm, the reality is that a rabbit is forever alert to the danger of predators, even as he charms us grazing in a lush environment. Neither evil nor good, the rabbits and the wolf both appear in their full majesty.

Behind every picture is a story. I endeavor to bring this idea forward in multilayered compositions that juxtapose idealized landscapes with messy, lived realities. My habitat series—and this exhibition—were inspired by colorful landscape photographs, printed and distributed by nature organizations in the form of calendars. I repurposed these in collages by slicing the images into strips like louvered shades to reveal the flora and fauna within the perfect photographs. A central image anchors each narrative, which may include found or hand drawn plants and animals; organic elements such as grasses, seeds, and shells; discarded materials like plastic and packing materials; and ornaments including glitter, rhinestones, beads, and ribbons. I reveal the living things that have been disinvited to public view yet play a vital role in every ecosystem. In these alternate views, I often point to conditions that are less than pretty, like the air pollution that makes sunsets so beautiful; the predator/prey relationship; and the impact of the built environment on the land it occupies. The collages themselves are colorful, decorative little worlds with amusing details and juxtapositions to attract your attention.