Laurie Walker (artist)

She explored personal identity transformed through a synthesis of ancient mythological references, industrial tools, taxidermy, botanical illustrations and biological organisms (bioluminescent bacteria, pigs bladders, etc...).

Her eclectic use of materials explored combinations of the organic and synthetic: Kheper beetle, gold leaf, sheep manure, peat moss, overhead projectors, water, IV bags, glass, watercolours on enlarged EEG printouts.

"’[8] From the early 2000s onward, Walker’s output as an artist and career profile diminished after she was struck by Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS).

[9] While chronically ill, from 2005-2008, Walker completed a set of four large-scale drawings entitled Prometheus Rebound which were exhibited at Susan Hobbs Gallery in Toronto after her death in 2011.

The catalog for that show states: "Walker’s work held a high degree of fabrication, and was deliberately made from materials carrying weighty symbolic charges that echoed her deep interest in the natural sciences, ancient mythology, and environmental concerns.

Laurie Walker c. 1984. Photo: Paul Christopher