Lacee Black, Road to Monument Valley

Artist: Lacee Black

Title: Road to Monument Valley

Medium: Paper collage

Dimensions: 7 ½ x 5 ¾ inches

Price: $475

Artist Statement: The human imagination is amazing in how it can visualize or reimagine images and stories within common, everyday items. We saw this massive rock formation on the way to Monument Valley, and from a distance it looked like a castle planted in the desert. With the colors of the atmosphere and sandstone behind it, it felt like the lone guardian to a magical land. It was a unique challenge in this painting to create the feeling of soft, fluffy clouds with such little contrast, simultaneously pushing the background formations without obscuring the detail of each progressive layer's topography.

This piece was created using white tissue paper, colored tissue paper, PTA elementary school flyer, printed scrapbook paper, construction paper, solid cardstock various finishes, Charles Tyrwhitt catalogue, Vogue Magazine pages, "swiss dot" embossed printed scrapbook paper, Behr paint chips, chopsticks packaging sleeve, green hanging folder, green kraft paper

Artist Bio: As an artist, I am inspired by the world around me and love to immerse myself in other cultures and artistic expression. As a child, I had a keen interest in history, mythology, and drawing. Throughout my life, I have been exposed to many varieties of art in visiting museums and installations. All of these experiences encouraged my creativity and I experimented with a lot of different media. I began to explore collage in high school, then later, as I took classes in college. My process evolved through an exploration of visual texture and the use of print as pattern and color. My pieces portray a variety of subjects, drawing inspiration from story-telling and human emotion.

I received an Associate of Science degree from Salt Lake Community College in General Studies with honors in 2013, then two degrees for Illustration and Graphic design with honors in 2017. I have shown pieces in the Tubac Center for Arts "Arizona Aqueous XX" Show, the Salt Lake Community College "President's Art Show" (winning Best In Show in 2021), and  the Urban Arts Gallery "Self" Art Show. I also showed in the Salt Lake Community College "Student Art Showcase," where I received an Award of Merit in 2017 and an Honorable Mention in 2005.