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Missouri Noodling (LaB No107)
Artist: ClubHeadArt (nom d’artiste) — signed with the “LaB” monogram.
Rooted in the spirit of American Regionalism yet unmistakably contemporary, Missouri Noodling (LaB No107) demonstrates how modern artists continue to explore themes central to the movement: local ritual, physical labor, and the shaping force of place. Rather than imitating the 1930s–40s masters, this work engages the same subjects they once elevated — the everyday actions through which regional identity is formed.

The figure, half‑submerged in a Missouri river, reflects the enduring Regionalist interest in the relationship between people and the land (or water) that sustains them. The moment is rendered not as spectacle but as ceremony. The catfish becomes both creature and symbol — a threshold object linking body, water, memory, and place. Earth‑toned palettes, grounded composition, and attention to lived ritual echo the concerns of early Regionalism while speaking in a distinctly present‑day voice.

Presented here as an example of modern American Regionalism, LaB No107 illustrates how contemporary artists reinterpret regional traditions with new materials, new sensibilities, and a renewed focus on cultural inheritance.