Laura Ross-Paul (born 1950) is an American realism painter in the Pacific Northwest known primarily for her work in Oregon. Ross-Paul paints figures using a custom technique using oil paint, resin, and wax. Second Creek (2008) is on display at the Oregon State Capitol, acquired through the One Percent for Art Collection by the Oregon Legislative Assembly.

Laura Ross-Paul
Born
Laura Ross

1950
Portland, Oregon
Alma mater
MovementAmerican Realism
Websitelauraross-paul.com

She was awarded the Bonnie Bronson Fellowship in 2009, after her work was transformed around her experience with breast cancer as the first cryoablation patient in the United States.

Biography

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Laura Ross-Paul was born in Portland, Oregon in 1950.[1] Her mother died of breast cancer when she was still a student at Wilson High School at eighteen.[2][3] After graduating in 1968, Ross-Paul attended Oregon State University (OSU) to study art. While there, she was the political cartoonist and illustrator OSU's Vietnam-era underground anti-war newspaper, The Scab Sheet 10 cents for the Truth.[3] There she met Alex Paul, whom she married in 1970.[4] They moved to Washington, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting in 1974 from Fort Wright College. She the returned to Oregon, where she attended Portland State University (PSU) and graduated with her Master of Fine Arts in Painting in 1976 and a Bachelor of Science in Arts in 1978.[1][5]

Ross-Paul taught art at PSU, Lewis and Clark College, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, and Hoffman Center for the Arts.[6]

In 2014, Ross-Paul, her husband, and her oncologist, Peter Littrup, published They're Mine and I'm Keeping Them through the self-publishing service CreateSpace, an account of her experience with breast cancer and the first cryoablation patient in the United States. Ross-Paul illustrated the book.[7][8][9]

Paintings

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Ross-Paul paints in the genre of American Realism with a unique twist referred to as "Supernatural Realism" by th Seattle Post-Intelligencer.[10] She specializes in figure painting, using Pacific Northwest landscapes as metaphorical backgrounds. She paints with oil and watercolor paints in studio. She also adds wax and resin to her oil paintings using a technique she invented.[11][5] Her style was inspired by Mark Tobey, Kenneth Callahan, and Morris Graves,[5] and has been compared to Claude Monet and Caspar David Friedrich by 1859 Oregon's Magazine.[3] The Oregonian referred to her as a "venerable [figure] from Portland's long established vanguard" of art.[12][13] She is a contemporary of Margaret Coe.[5]

Twelve of Ross-Paul's paintings were purchased by the Oregon Legislative Assembly in One Percent for Art Collection, the first law of its kind that dedicates tax dollars to acquiring works from the state's most well-known artists.[14] Her 2008 painting, Second Creek, is hanging at the Oregon State Capitol.[5]

Awards and accolades

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References

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  1. ^ a b Christine, Bourdette; Laing-Malcolmson, Bonnie; Snyder, Stephanie; Tesner, Linda (2011). Bonnie Bronson Fellows: 20 Years (PDF). Lewis & Clark College.
  2. ^ "Wilson High Class 1968 – Who's Coming?". Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  3. ^ a b c Peterson, Isaac (2017-10-22). "An Artist's Breast Cancer Journey: Laura Ross-Paul". 1859 Oregon's Magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  4. ^ "The Authors". keepingthem.com. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Art of the time: Oregon's State Capitol Art Collection" (PDF). oregonlegislature.gov. 2011.
  6. ^ a b c "Hoffman Center for the Arts Gallery highlights painter and ceramics artists". Tillamook Headlight-Herald. 2022-06-20. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  7. ^ Ross-Paul, Laura; Paul, Alex; Littrup, Peter (2014). They're Mine and I'm Keeping Them: How Freezing My Breast Saved My Breast. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 9781497357495.
  8. ^ Moore, Charles (March 29, 2016). "Minimally Invasive Breast Cancer Cryotherapy Largely Ignored in U.S., Says Advocate and 13-Year Survivor". Breast Cancer News. The Oregonian. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  9. ^ "Hoffman Center Gallery features painter Laura Ross Paul and ceramicist Sarah Swink in July". Tillamook County Pioneer. 2019-07-02. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  10. ^ Wagonfeld, Judy (December 23, 2004). "Ross-Paul's twins live in a different dimension". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  11. ^ Douglas, Jeff (November 24, 2005). "Laura Ross-Paul; Brothers of Baladi". Oregon Art Beat. Season 7. Episode 9. Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  12. ^ Row, D. K. (March 13, 2010). "Looking at 'Portland 2010,' Disjecta's take on the Oregon Biennial". OregonLive.com. The Oregonian. Archived from the original on September 6, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  13. ^ a b D. K. Row, The Oregonian (2007-04-20). "An auction that measures a university". oregonlive. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  14. ^ "Laura Ross-Paul - Public Art". publicartarchive.org. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  15. ^ Row, D. K. (March 30, 2010). "Portland artist David Eckard receives Bonnie Bronson Fellowship Award". OregonLive.com. The Oregonian. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
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