Arkansas native and award-winning mixed media artist Ann Laser will be at the M2 Gallery in Little Rock on Saturday to showcase some of her latest paintings and works from her Tea Bag Project.
Laser, who now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, recently spent two weeks at the Skopelus Foundation of the Arts in Greece. Her time there inspired the many works that will be on display from 5-8 p.m. Saturday.
Among the art, viewers will see monoprints and collographs that feature mixed media art using tea bags from across the world, and other works inspired by the architecture and scenery of Greece. To see some of her previous art, click here.
Laser’s tea bag art was something she considered venturing into for some time, but it began when she took part in an art competition and was required to create something on the spot. From there, she began to show it at her Canyon Road gallery in Santa Fe, and now it’s become an international project.
She uses the tea bags to make various abstract paintings, collagraph prints and installation pieces.
In need of more tea bags for her art, Laser started the Tea Bag Project, which invited her family, friends and social media fans to “drink tea and make art” by saving their tea bags for two weeks and sending them to her to be used in her art.
Laser is currently working on a 10-foot long, 5.5-foot wide project that will require more than 2,000 tea bags. Each bag is emptied and sewn on a large fabric backdrop. The colors of the dried tea bags bleed into each other and create a 3-D display of beiges, burgundies and rich, earthy browns.
Laser continues to receive tea bags from all over the world. Her work has also been featured at Wantanabe Gallery in Osaka, Japan.
To keep up with Laser’s work, follow her on Facebook. She will be at the M2 Gallery, at 11525 Cantrell Road, from 5-8 p.m. Saturday. For more on M2 Gallery, click here.