Centered around themes of transformation and protection, Laura Berger focuses on figurative archetypes, intuitive color palettes, and dreamlike minimalistic environments. Initially approaching painting as a therapeutic practice, her work serves as a means to explore and articulate experiences and memories that feel just out of reach, that exist on a more spiritual or emotional plane. About her work, Berger states, "I’m interested in painting as a means to explore what it means to be human, what it means to be alive in this time and connected to each other --all with our own histories, our stories-- but sharing in our collective humanity and our ties to what came before us and what will come next. I initially started painting as a therapeutic practice, which continues to be the foundation for my work: using color as a centering healing tool and a way to sit with different combined energies; using narrative and composition exploration as a way to work through various experiences or memories. I like to leave the narrative and environmental elements open-ended in my paintings to create an almost dreamlike feeling similar to the way our individual psyches process our lives, and perhaps as a way to tap into the more mystical qualities of life. I’m most interested in the emotional energy of the painting and creating fluid stories that can be inclusive of many connections for the viewer, as they are for me when I work."

Opening Day for Chrysalis will be held at Stephanie Chefas Projects on Saturday, August 27th, from 5-8 pm. Masks are optional, and social distancing practices are encouraged. Stephanie Chefas Projects is located in Portland, Oregon, at 305 SE 3rd Avenue on the second floor of the Urban Row building. The exhibition will be on view through September 24, 2022, and is free and open to the public.