The presence of cormorants in Ontario is controversial, where laws have been in flux over recent years regarding the legal eradication of this native species, maligned largely due to the property damage they can cause, and a false perception that they deplete the game fish population.
The cormorant is somewhat of a black sheep, an ugly duckling—archetypes that Laura has identified with since childhood. In this painting, the cormorant tries to disguise, alter, or morph into a more appealing version of itself, the light to its shadow self. The title of the painting is a quote from The Double by Dostoevsky, a frequent source of inspiration for Laura’s research and studio practice.