I'm pleased as punch to have Laurie with us this week! You may have read her creative wisdom as quoted in The Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin or seen her work around the web or at shows like Twist. Laurie is a Western Mass living, art-making mama (hmmm, can you see why I like her so much?) I'm thrilled that Laurie was able to take a few moments to interview with me. Thanks, Laurie!
Maeg: Tell us a little bit about yourself!
Laurie: I am a 30 year-old artist living and working in the beautiful Berkshire mountains of Western Massachusetts. I live about 15 minutes from my hometown, but I spent a few years in Washington state and San Francisco before moving back here to start a family with my wonderful husband, who also happens to be from the Berkshires. He is a house painter, welder and hiking guide, and our daughter, Natalie, just turned one! It's pretty unbelievable, really. When I'm not chasing her, I am trying to find time to make art, do yoga, garden and cook; I'm currently totally enthralled with nutrition research and my work is reflecting that; veggies everywhere! My artwork is all inspired by nature and food. I work in a variety of media, but usually watercolor & acrylic paint, fabric sculpture, digital illustration and graphic design.
M: What’s a day in your artistic life like?
L: These days I don't often get a whole day to devote to my artistic life anymore! But I do get one day a week where I work by myself most of the day, so I'll tell you about that. Usually we wake up anywhere between 6 and 8 am (dictated by the 1 year-old, of course), have breakfast as a family and then my hubby takes Natalie to his mom's for "daycare". I will often hit the yoga mat for a quick practice before starting anything else. Then I check my e-mail and probably get sucked into facebook and clicking links and reading blogs for a little too long. Then, if I'm feeling particularly organized (or just totally swamped and confused and need to clarify) I make a priority list for the day, with just one or two important things and a bunch of not-as-important things to get done. Then I head down to my basement studio and get to work! I pull out the sewing machine or get my paints set up and get to work. For my paintings I often work from a photograph I have taken or found, so I set up my computer on my desk and display the image there for reference. I paint away until I remember that I'm hungry and stop for lunch or a snack. Then back at it until I have to pick Natalie up, sometimes stopping for another internet break. I love to listen to an audiobook, NPR, HayHouse Radio or a podcast while I work. Natalie comes home anywhere between 2 and 5, and then we play and read books and I don't get back to work until after she's asleep for the night. Sometimes I'll finish up anything I am close to being done with, like hand-sewing or scanning a painting in the evening while hanging out with my husband. (Wow, this makes me sound really productive! Too bad this is pretty much only one day a week when I get to work this much!)
M: What pieces and projects are you currently working on?
L: I am really excited to be working on a line of surface patterns. I am hoping to have them printed on all kinds of products and textiles, but I really don't know where it's going. I have a lot of ideas in my head right now! I've been slowly learning more and more about pattern design and repeating patterns and how to create them digitally. It's really fun and I've found a lot of great tutorials online. I'm currently researching all the different print-on-demand services for fabric and home decor products, and trying to figure out how I want to actually have the pieces created (and still make a profit!).
M: Laurie, how has having your first child impacted your creative life?
L: In some ways it feels like it has stunted it completely (as in having so little time and energy to put toward anything other than parenting), and in other ways it has totally expanded my outlook and inspired me in countless ways. I really love being a mother, and sometimes I think it would be nice to "just" be a mom, and not worry about creating. But I know myself and I know I would be totally frustrated if I didn't have this outlet, and I'm always coming up with new ideas, so someday when I have the time and get some energy back, I hope to be unstoppable! I think seeing the world from my daughter's perspective (First snowfall! Seeing a V of geese fly by for the first time ever! First watermelon!) and the enchantment she has for everyday things and experiences is so valuable to me. It also forces me to slow down and be in the moment with her, and evaluate what I'm spending my time on and making sure it's worthwhile. I have to ask myself if it is worth spending time away from her and how it will enrich our family and our lives.
M: I remember that in the Handmade Marketplace, you made a statement to the effect that it took time for you to see just what your style was and what your art would look like, it was a discovery process. (please tell me if i am totally misremembering that!) That really spoke to me. What was that process like and how did you help it along?
L: Yes! I think what I meant was that I was still working on it, and I still am! But every time I see a grouping of my work together, I start to see my style emerge more and more. And it's ever-evolving. I can paint the same thing today as I painted two years ago and it would look pretty different. As you hone your skills and develop techniques, your style can't help but change and emerge. I remember some advice from a teacher once to the effect of "don't be afraid of someone stealing your designs, because you should always be coming up with new and better ones!" I totally stand by that and I think as you keep making more and more work you see what your style is. I had another teacher who told me she spent a weekend just making art in all different media with all different techniques until she zeroed in on one she loved; I think this has value in it, too, and I've always sort of envied people who have a very distinct "style" and even stick with one medium, but I'm just not like that! I like to play around and have the freedom to try new things and change it up every once in a while! I'm really a very loose, go-with-the-flow kind of artist. I rarely sketch things ahead of time or lay them out precisely. I just have an idea and usually a jotted-down description to jog my memory, and I just go at it! Sometimes this creates problems, but usually it's a beautiful process of exploration, and it gives unexpected results every time. I think that's why I like watercolor, because you don't really know exactly what's going to happen when you put the paint to paper. It can bleed and pool and mix and create outlines that you weren't intending, but it makes for really dynamic compositions with some life to them. (Haha now you've got me wanting to go paint! Better get to it, since this is one of my weekly work-days!)
M: Your links?
