Laura Howarth

I am a painter and printmaker particularly interested in surface and in working intuitively, led by the process.

My printmaking is mainly experimental and I use collagraphs, Gyotaku, carborundum printing and other non-chemical processes to push the boundaries and to achieve painterly qualities in the work.
My paintings are mainly semi-abstract landscapes in which I aim to capture a spirit of place, often focusing in closely and calling on drawings, colour studies, photographs and remembered images in preparation for the final work.
When working on a painting I use layers of oil and cold wax medium to build up and then attempt to uncover the subtleties, nuances, light and texture of the place. I work intuitively; there is no plan but the paintings are led by the process and are constantly changing and evolving. Form and content influence each other as the work evolves and by adding layers and then scratching away at the surface, traces of earlier layers are revealed and so the process continues until the painting feels as though its intention has been realised.

I grew up on the west coast of the US and studied art and art education at Fairhaven College and Western Washington State University in the and later completed a Multimedia Extension Studies course at Bristol Polytechnic. I taught art at secondary level in the UK for many years before becoming a full-time artist.

Artist Residency - River Cottage Canteen, Bristol Sept -Nov 2015
RWA Artist Network Exhibition - RWA Apr-May 2016
Bath Society of Artists 111th Exhibition - Apr - June 2016
Thelma Hulbert Gallery Open Exhibition - June - August 2016