Featured Artist Laurie DeVault

Painter Laurie DeVault presents a collection of colorful and dynamic contemporary abstracts. View more of her art by visiting her website.

 

 

I grew up in California, raised in a family where creativity was valued and where my own artistic inclinations were encouraged. My parents supplied me with a variety of art supplies, including long rolls of white paper supplied by the butcher. We made our own gift wrap and greeting cards, and my mother drove me to an art class every week when I was ten.

 

 

This wasn’t a class of instruction, but one of creation, where we were free to explore and experiment with the materials laid out before us. I was in heaven! It was also then that I had my first taste of commercial success potential when one of my classmate’s mothers offered me $5 for my painting. My mother intervened, rejected her offer, and delayed my career for fifty years.

 

 

Although I earned a degree in art, I did not become a painter until much later. I mostly enjoyed photography and spent decades teaching elementary school. Since retiring from teaching, I have found my way back to the studio. Once again I am filled with the delicious satisfaction that comes with the creative process.

 

 

I approach my painting without any preconceived notions about the final product. If I start to think about who might like my painting, or fret that it may not be “good” enough, my joy is diminished as I am no longer trusting myself and my own intuition.

 

 

I paint best when I get out of my own way.

 

 

I’m an explorer in my studio, playing with my paints and mediums, and experimenting with scrapers, brushes, pencils and pastels. I play with textures, shapes, lines and carefree mark-making. I love the freedom of acrylic paints, how they can be creamy or transparent, and are easy to layer, manipulate, remove and cover.

 

 

My childhood home had stacks of art books. I was enchanted by the paintings of Chagall, Kandinsky and Klee, as well as by the drawings of Steinberg.

 

 

People comment they see these influences in my work, but I wonder which came first? Was I drawn to these artists because of an innate connection already deep within me, or have they somehow influenced my process through some kind of osmosis? I tend to lean more towards the former theory, believing we are all born with certain proclivities which inspire us to choose some paths while ignoring others.

 

 

It’s a challenge to explain my art, as putting the verbal to the visual doesn’t always work for me. My paintings can be edgy, wild and complex as well as soft, dreamy and whimsical. It’s all a joyful journey of exploration and discovery—spontaneous and unplanned.

 

 

I hope you will share this journey with me.

 

Artist Laurie DeVault invites you to follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Singulart and Fine Arts America.

 

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