Lawrence Montgomery

Artist Statement

In the early 1970’s I began a commitment to war resistance and filed for conscientious objection status with the U.S. Selective System; a system that fueled the Vietnam war. Today my paintings continue to represent my heartfelt feelings for peace and social justice. I’m currently working on two series of paintings that reflect on these social issues. 

The first series entitled March to Extinction intends to reflect on the sustainability of our materialistic way of life. The images are from photos I’ve taken at Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Ca. which represents the epitome of our materialistic ‘lifestyle’. Incorporated into the paintings are images of the Mega fauna from the Pleistocene era that once roamed the Rodeo Drive turf and are in evidence right next door at the La Brea tar pits. Now extinct through no fault of their own, these marvelous creatures are surreally juxtaposed in window reflections and dark alleys along Rodeo Drive to remind us of our own vulnerability. We may very well join the Pleistocene Mega fauna in extinction if we do not reflect and act on the un-sustainability of our conspicuous consumption. 

The second series entitled, There But For Fortune, is a continuation of my goal to paint images that inspire reflection and conversation concerning issues of social justice. The reflections in the paintings bear witness to the social injustices and disparities of our society. Store windows become a stage to present the contradictions that lay plainly before us on our individual journeys through life. Whether it’s a Muslim woman scurrying down a busy downtown SF street past a fashionable storefront window with the reflections of her bombed out Middle East homeland or a high end men’s store window with the reflection of a local homeless man encountering a well-to-do couple, the injustices and disparities are there for us to ponder and act on. 

As an artist living in a country with a permanent war economy in the Anthropocene era (during what has been labeled the ‘Sixth Extinction’) I am a firm believer that artists must respond with meaningful social content in their art to defend human dignity and human rights.