Paintings By Bill Laursen. Exhibit runs from Jan 21–Feb 28
ARTIST STATEMENT
Just as music can calm, entertain and inspire us through our auditory senses, couldn't art and especially coloralso be thought of as 'music' for our eyes?
As a composer of music arranges sounds employing notes, phrasing, rhythm and harmony to create a composition, an artist, in like manner, arranges a composition using line, shape, rhythm, harmony, texture and color to create a visual experience that can also calm, excite and entertain, etc.
My paintings, like the art of James McNeil Whistler, are painted for the sake of art and nothing more. I am interested in using colors to simply celebrate their existence and how they affect us and contribute to our psychological and spiritual well-being.
If my colors can produce a sense of joy, pleasure, contentment, or satisfaction, then I feel my intentions and efforts have succeeded. Color really doesn't need any explaining because it just is what it is and speaks for itself.
ARTIST BIO
William Kenneth Laursen (nickname “Mr. Bill”) b. 2-26-1948 Standardville,
Carbon County, Central Utah
Raised in Salt Lake City and Brigham City, Utah Graduated Box Elder High School.
Attended Utah State University with a scholarship in art, 1966. Studied with Harrison Groutage, Everett Thorpe and Gaell Lindstrom - graduated with a BFA and composite major in Art and Art Education – 1972
Influential art teacher at Cottonwood High School 1972-2005
Granite School District 'Teacher of the Year” 1986
Developed 'Cool Winter Games' student art project for the Utah
Winter Olympics 2002
Cottonwood High School Art Dept. chair, 1974 – 2003 (retired 2005)
Art instructor for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (U of U) since 2007
Member of the Salt Lake County Art Acquisition Committee
Recognized for working mainly in watercolor and acrylics.
Bill Laursen's artwork is found in many private and public collections.
AGE GROUP: | All Ages |
EVENT TYPE: | Exhibits | Arts & Creativity |
The Salt Lake City Public Library's Marmalade Branch is the anchor of a mixed-use project developed as a key part of the Redevelopment Agency (RDA) of Salt Lake City's master plan for the Marmalade/West Capitol Hill area of the city. The neighborhood serves as a gateway to Salt Lake City from the north, and the Marmalade Branch is both a hub for neighborhood gatherings and an important welcome for visitors, highlighting a focus on development in the area. On-street parking is available on 500 North and 300 West, and UTA routes offer service with stops immediately in front of the Library on 300 West.
The two-story Marmalade Branch, designed by Blalock & Partners Architectural Design Studio and completed in early 2016, provides 18,600 square feet of new construction to support a thriving and growing community. The first floor includes the Moka Cafe, featuring local coffee and chocolate; a Creative Lab with the latest maker technologies like 3D printing and music-making software as well as "old school" tech such as sewing machines and a turntable; a flexible Children's area; and the very popular Music and Movies collection. The second floor includes the Adult collection, study rooms for a range of group sizes, and a large, flexible multi-purpose room with tiered seating to allow for a wide variety of events. The multi-purpose room has already been very popular with the community, hosting community feedback sessions, film screenings, TEDx events, music recitals, and the highly-popular Coffee and Chocolate Society. The second floor also features a wrap-around terrace offering views of the Capitol Building to the east, Salt Lake City's picturesque skyline and landscape to the south and, to the north, views to a public plaza and open green space as part of a new mixed-use development.
The project utilizes an exterior shading device along the west-facing glass to minimize solar heat gain yet still promote a dynamic interaction with the street and passersby. Its compact footprint reduces land use and allows for a high-performance building envelope. The use of LED lights, lighting control systems, occupancy sensors, and daylight harvesting reduce the amount of electrical energy consumption while the flood of natural light creates an inviting interior environment for patrons and an efficient, balanced workplace for staff. In honor of these sustainability features, the Marmalade Branch was awarded the LEED Silver certification from the US Green Building Council (USGBC).
