VISUAL ARTS

On March 28, a forest rises in Lowell’s Loading Dock Gallery. Walk through Arlette Laan’s installation, Welcome to My World! Mixed media Laan summons trees from old blankets, animals from socks, and clouds from crochet. She reimagines nature on a scale at once whimsical and grand.

Passionate about nature, Laan is an avid hiker. She has walked challenging routes around the world. The wilderness originally inspired Laan to focus on photography. But recently Laan’s work took a whimsical turn. She began making sock dolls.

Laan learned how to sew and crochet from her mother. Now fiber allows Laan to work spontaneously. Her dolls also bring an immediate response from viewers. “With photography people often get technical with their comments,” says Laan. “With my dolls they just get a big smile on their face.”

As Laan’s work expanded to larger pieces she began to incorporate recycled materials. For this exhibit, she reached out to Western Avenue Studios artists for supplies. They responded with objects, transportation, and ideas. With their help, Welcome to My World! grew from a small idea to a room-sized exhibit. “This installation has really pushed my boundaries,” says Laan. Welcome to My World! celebrates Laan’s love of her environment: the natural world, her imagination, and the community of Western Avenue Studios, “with all its creative minds and knowledge.”

Laan lives in Tyngsboro. She has studio space at Western Avenue Studios and plans to move to the Western Avenue Lofts in Lowell in May.

Welcome to My World! shows in the Loading Dock Gallery at Western Avenue Studios, 122 Western Avenue, second floor of the A-Mill, from March 28 through April 29, 2012. There will be a reception for the artist on Friday, April 6, from 6 to 9 pm. Or stop in for cookies and lemonade during Western Avenue’s Open Studios, and meet the artist on Saturday, April 7, between 2-4 pm.

Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 11 am to 4:30 pm. For further information about the exhibit or the gallery, visit theloadingdockgallery.com or call 978.710.8605.