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Neverland

An aspect of childhood always finds a way into my art work. My mind becomes filled with memories: My cousins from Greece running barefoot on the cobblestone driveway. The birch trees that surrounded my bedroom window. The love of my three siblings and two loving parents. The suffocating turquoise shade I chose to paint my bedroom walls.

I associate these thoughts with comfort, and with comfort I think of the blanket my dad would lay on me after I fell asleep on the living room chair, before he would carry me to my turquoise bedroom with fluorescent green accents.

When our floors in our upstairs hallway were redone to hardwood, my tiny feet missed the comfort of the carpet as I ran down the hall to annoy my brothers and sister. With these memories I have been drawn to the idea of rug tufting and creating abstracted forms using textiles to express these memories from my childhood. The use of color in my work is inspired by the familiar color palettes from the movies and cartoons I would watch as a child. Movies, including Monsters Incorporated Or The Little Mermaid, have made their way into my art practice. The motif within these films such as doors or coral allude to my childhood memory as well. The bedroom that I lived in for all my adolescent years remains close to my heart. At a young age these four walls were my safe space and no matter what was wrong I would find myself cuddled in my blanket, finding warmth within its fibers. The overwhelming memory of this material safety I still feel has encouraged my current art practice of creating installation rooms made entirely of fiber art. My methods of making include rug tufting, needle punch, weaving, machine knitting, and crochet primarily, but as an interdisciplinary artist, my practice is always expanding.

Bio

Lauren Zervos is completing her bachelor of fine arts degree at Maine College of Art & Design. She is an interdisciplinary artist with a concentration in Sculpture. Zervos is skilled in many different practices, including ceramics, metalsmithing and jewelry, painting, textile and fashion design. She explores concepts of childhood and memory by using natural materials to create organic forms which then depict certain memories of her life. Zervos was born and raised in Southern New Hampshire to two artistically talented parents. Her work has been shown in the gallery spaces at Maine College of Art & Design.