Congratulations to @laurieborggreve, our latest Instagram winner! Laurie Borggreve is an artist based in Minneapolis, MN who combines various mediums to achieve a 3D, sculptural look to her work. Laurie was recently selected to create Constellation: a large-scale, permanent ceiling installation for the City of Minneapolis.
Are you a self-taught artist or did you study?
Are you a self-taught artist or did you study?
"I'm a little bit of both. I have always loved making art and grew up drawing, painting, and working with clay. I studied design, art history, and studio arts at the University of Minnesota and then worked as a graphic designer and art director for many years."
Are you a full time artist?
"For 20 years, I worked [full time] and painted on the side. I liked the idea of painting, and it taught me a lot about mixing colors, but I wanted to do something more sculptural. Six years ago, I decided to retire from design and began working full-time as an artist and experimenting with three-dimensional mediums.
What's your preferred medium?
"I have worked with just about every medium out there: paint, wood, resin, metal, leather, plastic, glass, fabric, paper, clay, etc. I like combining mediums to achieve the look I envision.
"I'm drawn to epoxy resin because I can manipulate the color, translucency, shape, texture, and finish to a high degree. The finished product is waterproof, lightweight, non-toxic, and resilient. I think I use resin in a less traditional way. I love to experiment with different methods and see what the possibilities are. Some of my best ideas have come from mistakes!"
What was it about resin art that attracted you?
"I discovered resin three years ago when The City of Minneapolis selected me to create a permanent large-scale ceiling installation. I needed a highly customizable, non-VOC medium that could stand the test of time. ArtResin was a perfect fit and allowed me to make larger pieces than I had previously been making. Before finding ArtResin, I worked with adhesive mixtures to create delicate small-scale work, but that had several limitations. Now, I feel like the sky's the limit with ArtResin."
What does your process look like?
"My process for public art, commissions, and my own pieces are relatively different. Sometimes it's free-flowing, and other times it's quite structured and premeditated. I usually start with a color scheme and a feeling. I've been experimenting with making my own silicone molds, but most of the time, I pour the resin on silicone sheets and form them by hand in their soft-cure stage. After the sculptures are hard cured, I drill, sandblast, carve or finish them in various other ways. The best thing about working with ArtResin is that there are so many possibilities!"
"My process for public art, commissions, and my own pieces are relatively different. Sometimes it's free-flowing, and other times it's quite structured and premeditated. I usually start with a color scheme and a feeling. I've been experimenting with making my own silicone molds, but most of the time, I pour the resin on silicone sheets and form them by hand in their soft-cure stage. After the sculptures are hard cured, I drill, sandblast, carve or finish them in various other ways. The best thing about working with ArtResin is that there are so many possibilities!"
When did you start on Constellation and what was your inspiration?
"The design phase of Constellation began in 2019. I've always been mesmerized by the Milky Way and felt that a constellation theme would be an excellent connection to the people working on the floor where the artwork resides. I was inspired by their diverse communities and departments and how they all work together to achieve a common goal of making Minneapolis a better, safer city."
"The design phase of Constellation began in 2019. I've always been mesmerized by the Milky Way and felt that a constellation theme would be an excellent connection to the people working on the floor where the artwork resides. I was inspired by their diverse communities and departments and how they all work together to achieve a common goal of making Minneapolis a better, safer city."
Photo credit: Corey Gaffer Photography
What do you hope the viewer gets out of the Constellation installation?
"Each of the 1000+ sculptures is visually unique, yet they all work together to form one complete artwork. The idea that we can celebrate our differences and individuality and still work towards a common goal is something I hope viewers will get out of Constellation. The 4-minute looping light program is also a really cool experience. I combined three kinds of lightbulbs, uplighting and LED downlighting, to create different visual effects. One of which is mini light bulbs that illuminate independently to form the big and little dipper. (Fun side note: All the sculptures hang from neodymium magnets attached to custom metal panels.)"
What do you hope the viewer gets out of the Constellation installation?
"Each of the 1000+ sculptures is visually unique, yet they all work together to form one complete artwork. The idea that we can celebrate our differences and individuality and still work towards a common goal is something I hope viewers will get out of Constellation. The 4-minute looping light program is also a really cool experience. I combined three kinds of lightbulbs, uplighting and LED downlighting, to create different visual effects. One of which is mini light bulbs that illuminate independently to form the big and little dipper. (Fun side note: All the sculptures hang from neodymium magnets attached to custom metal panels.)"
Where can we find your artwork?
"Constellation is on the 5th floor of the New Public Service Building in downtown Minneapolis and is open to the public. I exhibit and have work in public and private spaces across the U.S., but Instagram is my favorite way to keep people up-to-date on my latest shows and projects."
Photo credit: Corey Gaffer Photography
To see more of Laurie's work:
Visit her website: https://lborggreve.com
Follow her on Instagram: @laurieborggreve
Congratulations on your win, Laurie!
To celebrate our amazing resin artists, every month we send out a 32 oz kit to a couple of folks who have tagged us on Instagram—and then we share their work with the world!
Don't forget, tag YOUR ArtResin work with @art_resin on Instagram, and YOU could be our next winner!!
ArtResin: Made For Artists, By Artists.
