74 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM “my art classes really lit me up.” After graduating, she set her sights on a job in advertising in New York City. She worked for a small ad agency and smiles as she remembers that it was “super creative and I loved it.” A major life change, in the form of marriage and the birth of twins, required putting a hold on her artistic endeavors, although she kept taking art classes whenever she could. Two more children meant that life was busier than ever. In 2015, her husband was offered a position at a Palo Alto-based tech firm and, after one year of living apart, they decided to try dividing their time between the Bay Area and East Coast. That same year, with children on the cusp of adulthood, Laura made a decision: “This is my time and I am getting back to my painting.” She began exploring art galleries and educational opportunities says that she usually has an idea in advance as to what she wants to portray. Laura is very clear that these paintings are not meant to be portraits. While the bodies of her figures are carefully arranged, the faces are almost totally lacking in detail. “I want them to look like they could be anyone, which is why they are usually looking away or down or wearing hats,” she explains. “I am not looking for realism. I am trying to find my perfect blend of realism and abstraction.” Her passion is for light. “I love the way that light hits bodies and structures,” Laura says. The structures that she enjoys painting the most are beach chairs and lifeguard stations. “I have grown and was soon taking classes at Pacific Art League and the Palo Alto Art Center. “I feel very lucky that there are so many wonderful resources here,” she says of the Peninsula. She became adept at setting up her home studio wherever she could, including in the garage, bedrooms and the foyer of the large home they rent in downtown Palo Alto. She recently enjoyed a fourmonth residency at the Cubberly Studios, which was an unexpected opportunity. “I got a call that a space was open and had one hour to decide to take it, and I did,” she laughs. “It was wonderful to be there and meet and share with the other artists.” Laura’s sunny, colorful beach scenes are not as spontaneous as one might think. Her working method is to pose her subjects (often her children, nieces, nephews and other family members) and then take pictures with her phone. She ABOVE: (from left) Tidepool Treasures; Tangerine Tunic. {home & design}
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