We recently connected with Laura Atria and have shared our conversation below.

Laura, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I always grew up making things. Whether it was dessert in the kitchen, drawing at family dinners, collaging my entire childhood bedroom (ceiling and walls) with magazine cut outs, taking photos, or writing, I was always crafting ways to try and make something new out of something ordinary. When it was time to go to college, I originally decided to major in journalism. After taking a few classes, I realized I was not willing to put in the footwork to become a journalist. I decided to expand my horizon and try a few other classes. It’s funny because I accidentally enrolled in Art History. I remember sitting in that auditorium listening to the professor speak about the Renaissance, the Catholic Church, and the fig leaf campaigned. I was hooked. All it took was two hours of one class and I immediately changed my major.

In addition to the Art History major, I decided to take some studio classes as well. Painting and conceptual sculpture became my two main focuses. I was twenty at the time, and I wanted to find a way to bond with my father more. He always encouraged my brothers and me to draw when we were children and, although he is not an artist by trade, he is an amazing painter and drawer. I decided to enroll us in an oil painting class held at a local museum. The professor of the class handed out random headshots for us to paint. I still have my portrait hanging in my studio. I named him “Steve.” It is the one piece I will never sell. After one two month class, I decided to add a double major to my course load with Studio Art with a focus in painting. Although I loved sculpture, my heart truly belonged to oil painting.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a professional artist based in Florida. I recently received a Broward County Cultural Division Grant in December 2021 for my newest visual arts series “They’re Trying Their Best,” which consists of oil paintings and is an expansion of my previous series “Messy Hair, Messy Hearts.” This new series focuses on the next phase of the feminine. The female portraits do not represent any woman in particular, rather I find myself in each of the personified characters. I invent and document these women in a desire to process past traumas and better understand myself. Chapter 2 is an elaboration of my previous portraits creating a further dialogue of the individual’s internal and external struggle to “be.” The characters represented in this series intuitively tell stories which I hope allow the viewer to achieve a sense of healing and self-definition on a larger scale and with more active expression. In addition to the paintings, I worked with producer, musician, and digital creator tiny.blips and his record company Inner Ocean Records to create original music and video collages based around the new series.

In 2020, I was commissioned by President Joe Biden to create multiple banner murals for his South Florida Presidential Campaign. I currently have murals located in the Florida Keys, many murals throughout the state, and was commissioned by Broward County’s Cultural Division to complete a mural at Port Everglades. I graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a dual degree: a BFA in Studio Art and a BA in Art History. Although my work can be seen conceptualized through murals, sculpture, and mixed media, my main medium is oil paint, often times creating my own pigments.

In addition to my studio work, I am a public art program manager for the City of Pompano Beach and am currently working with the Town of Davie to create their Ten Year Public Art Master Plan. I also worked for the City of Coral Springs for eleven years as their Public Art Administrator; and have worked with Palm Beach County’s Art in Public Places program as well as the City of Tamarac’s Public Art Program. I was one of the lead panelists at the 2019 Florida Professionals of Public Art Conference. In addition, in February 2016, I was one of the presenters for a statewide arts Convening Culture Conference at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. In 2015, I served on the Broward County Artist Selection Panel. In 2012, I worked with the Coral Springs Museum of Art to receive a Community Foundation of Broward Grant. In 2016, along with the Pompano Beach Development Services Department, I was awarded the Florida Planning and Zoning Outstanding Study/Plan for the City’s Ten Year Public Art Master Plan. I also worked with Pompano Beach’s Cultural Affairs Department and CRA to receive a $100,000 National Endowment of the Arts Grant in 2017. In 2018, I was part of the department team awarded a one million-dollar Bloomberg Philanthropies Grant for the City of Coral Springs’ Public Art Challenge. Most recently, in 2020, I worked with Pompano Beach’s Cultural Affairs Department to receive a Community Foundation of Broward Art of Community Grant for the City’s Public Art Program. As a professional artist and a program manager, I feel I bring academic and hands-on knowledge in addition to familiarity of artistic theory, principles, and materials to the projects I encounter.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is creating. When I am in the studio developing a concept or putting brush to canvas, I love to feel my brain work. Whether dealing with the fundamentals of the medium or pushing my thought process to new levels, I am always learning and becoming more and more inspired. I find my work extremely therapeutic. Most of my painting session are more like therapy sessions where I am dealing with issues and past traumas. By the end of the session, I feel emotionally drained but also overwhelmingly filled with acceptance of myself, my past, my present, and my work.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I have learned is to never compare myself or my work to others. In the end, I am making art for me, because I need to. It is important to not try to compete with those around you. I am only trying to beat my own personal record, evolve my own thought process and skill. It is essential not to look at others as competitors; rather, support, praise, and encourage them. When you build other people up, I feel your own self-worth and work become even better.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @laura_atria_art

Image Credits
Andrew Urban