ARTIST STATEMENT
Portraits under the Sky
Painting portraits is symbolic of my ‘Let’s face it’ philosophy. I believe that when we confront the truth within ourselves, we become open to learning the lessons that life seeks to teach us.
My artwork bears testimony to my fascination with the human spirit. For me, this spirit reveals itself through portraits that communicate to the viewer the journey of the soul, mind, and emotion, with each portrait transposing a genetic blueprint into the present.
My preferred medium is oils, and I trust my palette as if it were a piano. Each colour is a key that creates notes and melodies of harmonious vibration as I play my way across the canvas. When the song is complete, three layers are present: transparent, translucent, and opaque—each symbolising the different levels at which the spirit is able to reveal itself.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
It wasn’t until Laura attended the Johannesburg School of the Arts at the age of 15 that she truly felt alive. There, she discovered the freedom to express her deep thoughts and emotions through colour, paint, drawing, and sculpture.
After graduating, Laura went on to work as a graphic designer for advertising agencies before transitioning into illustration. At the age of 40, she took a bold leap from commercial art into fine art, immersing herself in painting a range of subjects—from still life and landscapes to urban scenes and figures—across various media, including watercolour, pastels, acrylics, and mixed-media airbrush.
However, it is in portraiture that she feels most naturally at ease, and in which she now specialises, with oils as her chosen medium. Laura paints for numerous world-class galleries in Cape Town and receives commissions from both local and international clients. She also teaches drawing and painting fundamentals from her studio in Cape Town.
