MARILYN II Painting

Born in Greater Manchester Laura moved around the north of England in her younger days, school in Manchester, senior and six form college in Shropshire and then onto The University of Leeds. For her GCSE and A-Level Art projects, she focused on the face, facial expressions, and looking at the differences and techniques to convey young and old, using mainly chalks, charcoal and acrylic paints. She gained an A in both levels. At university she completed a BA and MSc in Textile Management, Science and Design, after which she moved to London to pursue a career in the fashion industry, working for the likes of Marks and Spencer and Selfridges Department Store. During this time she kept up her love of drawing and painting by attending figurative drawing classes at St Martins College of Art & Design. However it was when Laura moved to Devon, South West England, she decided to relinquish her career in fashion and concentrate on progressing her love of portraiture. Laura has since taken several courses in Reading and Exeter and has received tuition from Gregory Mason, runner up to the winner of the SKY National Portrait Competition 2018 to enable her to refine her techniques and influence and inspire her work further. Laura has taken part in several exhibitions and is a member of the Devon Artist Network. Her portraits have sold both nationally and internationally. Laura mainly paints icons from the film, art and music industries. “I especially love to paint a musicians’ portrait whilst listening to their music, as I feel it really helps to engage with the character of the person and so the whole painting process becomes more natural, with swifter, bolder and more fluid movements.”