About the Artist

LAUREL paints landscapes of treasured places, sharing her joy in Central Coast light and scenes. Her work is known for rich color using traditional oils and lots of paint and for involving viewers as they recognize the scenes from their own memories while experiencing her color-filled interpretations.

BACKGROUND: Laurel grew up in a small suburb of Chicago bordering on woods and farmland, where she embraced an enormous appreciation for nature. She’s been creating art all her life and majored in art at college after which she headed west to California. She worked for a while in graphic design and was drawn back to oil painting, her real passion. She has traveled extensively and eventually put down roots in rural Arroyo Grande, CA, 20 years ago with her husband.  When she’s not painting in the studio or on location, she is caring for her menagerie of birds, dogs, chickens and goats.

WHERE TO SEE HER WORK:  Set an appointment to come to her studio near Arroyo Grande, CA, and see much more work than is shown on the website.  Information on revolving events with her work in group exhibits is on the Events page.

She sometimes shows her work at a variety of interesting locations in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, such as Los Olivos Café in Los Olivos, CA.  Her work can be found lighting up public collections in hospitals in Santa Maria, CA; Glendale, CA; La Jolla, CA; Irvine, CA, and Birmingham, MI.  Nine of her pieces are part of the Cottage Hospital Healing Arts Project, in Santa Barbara, CA. 

She has studied with oil painting masters such as Ted Goerschner, Elizabeth Tolley, Barry John Raybould. Laurel’s paintings have been featured on covers of magazines, such as SkyWest and multiple times on Vine Times.  She was one of 25 plein air painters invited to paint on location at Hearst Castle at both the 2009 and 2010 Plein Air Invitational. 

About her work, she says, “I paint interpretive landscapes in oils, focusing on rural, coastal and wild California.  California is amazing with its unique light and variety of scenery.  Everywhere I look I see a painting. I go down the road, and there are so many scenes I feel a need to capture.”  Saving these treasured places is high on her list of why she paints.

PAINTING ON SITE: Laurel says, "Painting outdoors is a great inspiration, and I find the dramatic shadows of early-morning and late-afternoon light especially intriguing. As a plein air painter, I have an intense involvement with the environment. Fostering passion for and inspiring people to preserve our treasured rural and wild areas is one of my top goals for painting.  I love these areas and feel a need to share my passion and vision, which I do best with brush and canvas.”  Laurel forwards these goals as an active member of San Luis Outdoor Painters for the Environment (SLOPE), who use their art to draw public attention and generate funds for preserving local lands.

PRIVATE CLASSES: There’s nothing like the smell and feel of oil paint!  If you have never painted in oils or if you have some oil experience but want to progress, this is the class for you. Learn the basics to help you get off to a great start!  Through handouts and instructor demos you will learn about value, color mixing, composition, form, paint application, using thumbnail sketches and how to go about creating a painting. Paint from life, not from photos.  This is a private class in Laurel's Studio, allowing for close personal attention.  Supply list provided upon registration. Contact Laurel for more information at [email protected]. 

ART MEMBERSHIPS: 
California Art Club (CAC), californiaartclub.org

Women Painters West, womenpainterswest.org

San Luis Outdoor Painters for the Environment (SLOPE), slope-painters.com
Central Coast Artist Collective (CCAC), centralcoastartistscollective.org

Laguna Plein Air Painters (LPAPA), lpapa.org

https://www.outdoorpainter.com/two-pochade-box-stories-you-have-to-read/

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