Laura Sanders' female portraits are remarkable for their powerful exploration of women's autonomy and visibility within natural landscapes. Sanders places women in environments that question societal norms and belonging. The exciting factor of these portraits lies in her unique blend of realism and painterly expression, where the play of light and shadows brings each scene to life, enhancing the emotional depth and the narrative of women’s strength and vulnerability. Her technique of painting directly with oil, wet on wet, achieves a striking balance between almost photo-realistic images and expressive, gestural paint styles, making the figures emerge vividly against the backdrop of shifting natural settings. This approach not only underscores the physical and psychological connection between the figures and their surroundings but also reflects on broader themes of feminism and environmentalism, making her work both visually compelling and conceptually rich. Thank you Laura. And thank you Plato Gallery for the exhibition tonight. - NY Culture Critic @ny_culture_critic