These paintings and sculptures are my letter to the world, my attempt to distill and express everything I have come to understand about our shared humanity. I hope to inspire a moment of connection, when some part of you cries out, “Yes! I know that feeling!” Even if you aren’t completely sure what sparked that recognition.

There is a lot of divisiveness in the world. We, as human beings, instinctively try to classify and divide ourselves into categories defined by appearance, finances, education, intelligence, even geographical origin.

In the varied aspects of my life—emergency physician, traveler, artist—I have witnessed the most intense and intimate moments of humanity: birth, death; hope, despair; moments that transcend the roles society, and we ourselves, have defined. These experiences have gifted me with an expansive view of humanity that is extremely embracive, and I want desperately to share that with you.

I've seen patterns in human interaction that underlie and over-arch the superficial differences. Patterns that demonstrate every person's instinctive need for balance and connection with each other and the world. Underneath the artificial divisions, humans are incredibly alike. We all want to be seen, acknowledged, and understood.

Most people are hardly aware of these needs. We’ve moved far away from inner life, connected life, and yet that’s what we all crave. I want to express these basic needs and demonstrate that they are universal.

I work in various mediums: aluminum, clay, oil paint, even stone. The combination of malleability and resistance in these materials inform the final piece as much as my original intent. As a painting or sculpture evolves, the process becomes a partnership, almost a dance. The materials take on a life of their own and challenge me to make the most of them, to create what they want to become.

The bright spark of the human spirit imbues and animates each of us, but it is the most elusive aspect to capture in a static creation such as a painting or sculpture. I focus on illustrating that light. I strive to capture a moment when the subject’s entire being is infused by a single fleeting emotion. I aspire to cause exactly such a moment in you, the viewer: a moment when your thoughts turn inward, when you focus on your emotional self and feel your spirit’s craving for connection: Your own need to be seen, acknowledged, and understood.

If there is a unifying theory that explains everything in the universe, it is currently beyond our ability to express in a mathematical equation. Instead, I explore the underlying threads of commonality through my art. I hope to inspire a recognition of these connections, that sense of, “Yes, I know that feeling!” I want you to know that we are all connected by our intrinsic humanity, that none of us are ever alone.

Laura Waltrip, MD

"These paintings and sculptures are my letter to the world..."

Laura Waltrip, MD

"These paintings and sculptures are my letter to the world..."