Laura’s Artist Story

I never thought of myself as an artist, even though when I look back, I can see all of the ways that I am a creative. During the Covid-19 lockdown, I, like so many others, picked up some “Covid hobbies.” For me, though, I wasn’t able to start a creative endeavor because I was “creatively constipated”; I had “artist’s post-partum depression” after birthing my dissertation in 2014. Thank goodness for Julia Cameron’s Artist’s Way work—I finally went through her book and did the exercises during the lockdown. I thought it would help me start writing again, which it did, but I was completely surprised when I suddenly wanted to start painting.

I had never really been into painting before. Well, I had tried it and played with it, but I sold all my supplies when I moved to the mountain. So here I was, suddenly feeling the urge to paint, so I followed my intuition and made a beginning. Before I knew it, I was painting for hours every day. YouTube tutorials, Let’s Make Art tutorials, Anna Mason’s online art school, community college Zoom classes, then an in-person open studio weekly class once the quarantine lifted—but most importantly, hours and hours of daily practice at home in my loft office/studio.

I started with watercolor and then ventured into acrylic and oil painting. I love all three mediums and toggle between them. My favorite inspirations are the photos that I take while backpacking and exploring on my home mountain, Mt. Hood in Oregon. My ordinary is extraordinary!

Now I’m selling originals and also prints and note cards of what I think are my better paintings (it’s all subjective). I started vending at my local Hoodland Farmer’s Market, and I also vend at multiple holiday markets. I hope you enjoy my expression and continue to find your creative voice, too.

Follow me on Instagram @lstrudwickart.