Laura Grothaus andShelley Picotexplore themes of nature and storytelling through sculpture, video, painting, and additional 2D works made in collaboration with Art Enables artists Mara Clawson, Egbert “Clem” Evans, Debora Green, Vanessa Monroe, Gary Murrell, andImani Turner.The exhibition considers the natural world as an index of living symbols and archetypes human beings have used over and over throughout history to tell and retell the stories that define us. The small husks of nascent seeds, twining tendrils of growing plants, the presence of pollinators, and the bodies of dogs, bears, and other animals - these images feel ripe with mythic potential, an elemental vocabulary ready to be shaped into new narratives.
Click images to see artwork detail page and/or purchase work online (some visiting artist artwork will be unavailable post-exhibition)
Laura Grothaus
*Red Ballad, 2020
gouache on paper
50 x 114 in
*This piece was commissioned as part of the collaborative performance project, Red Ballad. It owes a debt of gratitude to the artists involved: Rae Red (director), Rain, Kim Le, Theresa Columbus, and Maura Dwyer.
Imani Turner & Laura Grothaus Collaborative drawing (Harpy Family Reunion), 2021 colored pencil on paper 11 x 14 in $250
Vanessa Monroe & Shelley Picot Collaborative drawing (Sacred Creature), 2021 mixed media on paper 11 x 14 in $250
paper clay, acrylic, colored pencil and other media
~ 27 x 43 in.
Shelley Picot, Praylien Drawings
Top row: Neck, 2021, acrylic, gesso, and graphite on paper, 7.5 x 5.5 in
Middle row: Shrek Finger, 2020, acrylic and graphite on paper, 11 x 7.5 in; Looking Up, 2020, acrylic, gesso and graphite on paper, 11 x 7.5 in; Eurgh, 2019, acrylic and graphite on paper, 11 x 7.5 in
Bottom row: Flower Prayer, 2020, acrylic and graphite on paper, 5.5 x 3.75 in; Alien in Forest, 2020, acrylic and pen on paper, 11 x 7.5 in; Praylien in Repose, colored pencil on paper, 6.5 x 5 in
Shelley Picot
Praylien, 2021
single-channel video with sound
continuous loop, 00:04:42
Shelley Picot
Paradise Well, 2021
paper clay, acrylic, colored pencil
24 x 24 x 3 in
Vanessa Monroe & Shelley Picot
Collaborative drawing (Fairy Hand), 2021
mixed media on paper
11 x 14 in
Laura Grothaus & Shelley Picot
Tales from the Forest Garden, 2021
watercolor and colored pencil on paper
11 x 14 in
Mara Clawson & Laura Grothaus
Collaborative drawing (New Growth), 2021
mixed media on paper
11 x 14 in
Laura Grothaus
Magic Book - Ink, 2021
found book, foil, alchemist gloves, pen nibs,
ink in bottles
12 x 9.25 x 1.50 in
Laura Grothaus
Magic Book - Reciprocity, 2021
found book, foil, polymer clay, cloth, thread
11 x 8.50 x 1.75 in
Laura Grothaus Magic Book - Forage, 2021 found book, foil, polymer clay, gouache, seeds 9.12 x 7.37 x 1 in
Laura Grothaus Magic Book - Ink, supplemental video
Laura Grothaus Magic Book - Reciprocity, supplemental video
Laura Grothaus Magic Book - Forage, supplemental video
Debora Green & Shelley Picot Collaborative drawing (Portal and Story), 2021 graphite and colored pencil on paper 11 x 14 in $250
Laura Grothaus & Shelley Picot
Super Fruit, 2021
mixed media on paper
11 x 14 in
Above: individual and collaborative drawings. Click titles below for full artwork info and expanded view (where available):
Top row: Shelley Picot, Flower Portal; Laura Grothaus, Rapunzel
Middle row: Debora Green & Shelley Picot, Forest Bathers; Debora Green & Laura Grothaus, Plant Animal; Laura Grothaus, Fiddlehead; Shelley Picot, Little Bloomer
Bottom row: Shelley Picot, Dog in Flowers; Shelley Picot, Sprouting Wand; Shelley Picot, Twig; Mara Clawson & Shelley Picot, Tideline Surprises; Shelley Picot:;__; ; Alien Face; Drawing for Dogrock; Drawing for Clearbell Grotto; Blue Test; Tree Ghost
Vanessa Monroe & Laura Grothaus Collaborative drawing (Bugs and Flower), 2021 graphite on paper 11 x 14 in $250
Imani Turner & Laura Grothaus
Collaborative drawing (Bees), 2021
graphite on paper
14 x 11 in
$250
Mara Clawson & Shelley Picot
Collaborative Drawing (Nature Feeling), 2021
mixed media on paper
14 x 11 in
$250
Egbert "Clem" Evans & Shelley Picot
Collaborative drawing (Rock Tree), 2021
mixed media on paper
14 x 11 in
$250
Mara Clawson & Laura Grothaus
Collaborative drawing (Bright Bright), 2021
mixed media on paper
11 x 14 in
$250
Mara Clawson & Shelley Picot
Collaborative drawing
(At Night, Acorns Go Floating), 2021
mixed media on paper
14 x 11 in
$250
Debora Green & Laura Grothaus
Collaborative drawing
(Held Tight to This Good Earth), 2021
mixed media on paper
11 x 14 in
$250
Gary Murrell & Laura Grothaus Collaborative drawing (Memory Garden), 2021 mixed media on paper 11 x 14 in $250
Vanessa Monroe & Shelley Picot Collaborative drawing (Spirits Walking With), 2021 mixed media on paper 11 x 14 in $250
LAURA GROTHAUS is a Baltimore-based writer and visual artist. Interested in the politics of magic and memory, she’s at work on a hybrid manuscript exploring queerness and childhood and a novel about singing bones. Her collaborations with musicians, activists, performers, and visual artists have spawned theatre about the environmental crisis, workshops about our bodies’ maps, and more. You can find her online at LauraGrothaus.com.
SHELLEY PICOT (b. 1990, Alexandria, Virginia) is an artist working in sculpture, new media, and drawing. She has exhibited in the DC area at Betty Mae Kramer Gallery, Willow Street Gallery, Kaplan Gallery of VisArts, and the District of Columbia Arts Center; in Philadelphia at AUTOMAT; and online at Big Toe Gallery; among others. Her honors include grants from the Maryland State Arts Council and Montgomery County Arts and Humanities Council, as well as a residency and merit grant from the Vermont Studio Center. She received a BA in Studio Art from Mount Holyoke College and currently lives and works in Montgomery County, Maryland. shelleypicot.com
To learn more about the Art Enables resident artists in this exhibition, please visit their artist pages:
Art Enables is dedicated to providing access to everyone. If you require accommodation during your visit, please contact info@art-enables.org with your request.
Mara Clawson & Laura Grothaus Collaborative drawing 
