Lauren D'Amato

My process of image making often draws directly from my experience working as a sign painter on windows, buildings, and construction sites around the city. I’m drawn to interior aesthetics, decorative arts, and the iconic Chicano imagery tied to my Southern California upbringing. My paintings are composed of vibrant colors, simple illustrations and typographic elements, which blur the distinction between the manufactured and the handmade. Through the process of layering imagery between pieces of glass, I’ve come to see my paintings as windows of documentation through which evidence of my personal lineage and process of production can be explored. I’m interested in the nostalgic relationship I have to my family’s craft of sign making and strive to relate to this prior generation of blue-collar workers, folk artists, and replica painters in my own image making through the repetition of their actions. I’m motivated by my intention to learn and implement techniques of handmade modes of production in an effort to ensure that the visual languages which inspire me do not become obsolete.

Lauren is originally from Whittier, California but now lives and works in San Francisco. She received her BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2016.