Brighton Seagull Painting

Laura Callaghan Grooms doesn't remember a time in her life when she wasn't painting or drawing. She grew up by the seaside near Margate in Kent, and remembers a childhood of drawing with pastels in her Nan's garden, felt-tipping every piece of paper she stumbled across, stashing arts materials like treasures in the well-organised chaos of her bedroom, and sketching family members as they sat watching the TV. Now based in Brighton, her artwork is still inspired by the places she's been and the things she's seen and felt. Using a selection of collaged paper-based ephemera as the basis, she builds up mixed media, found objects and different varieties of paint, to create finished canvasses with delicate translucent layers. Her work often uses the image, outline or silhouette of butterflies: “To me, the butterfly represents the ultimate possibility for transformation and change, and to keep faith during times of transition.” She takes inspiration from the natural world for her artworks and reflects her passion for recyling and reviving found objects.