We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lauren Coll. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lauren below.

Lauren , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Art is a visual language. There is an unspoken conversation between the artist and the audience. It becomes a shared experience when the artist creates a work that resonates with the viewer. By evoking emotion, art can transcend the experience of being human for the viewer. It makes us feel less alone.

A while ago, I began a series of realistic paintings and drawings called Traveller. The pieces I did for that project spoke in ways that were meaningful to me. These paintings were monochromatic black and white. Each painting focuses on one character in crisis or transition. Turning points in life which present dilemmas and choices. The difficulty of deciding or moving on is ever-present because we never know if the choice made is the correct one. We have all experienced the feeling that we wish we could go back and redo an action. But that is not an option that is generally given. The Traveller series focuses on the uncertainty of life and our choices. That series also addresses the final stage of letting go and how we decide to make that journey. These issues seem even more salient today. We live in a society which is in turmoil, making decision even harder. People are isolated, removed and uncertain. In recent months, I have returned to expand on this series.

While all of my Traveller paintings and drawings are highly detailed and realistic, I am also exploring more abstract and expressionistic work. This type of work is challenging because it offers a new language in which to communicate. It is exciting to go out of my comfort zone and to experiment with art forms outside of what I typically do. My favorite abstract painting to date is one called “Propeller”. It came up quite by accident. I had some idea of what I wanted when I began, but in this realm, it is as if the subconscious takes over and directs the brush strokes. This form of art is very exciting because it requires me to evoke emotion through texture, gesture, and color, rather than through the use of realistic images.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

From the time I was a young girl, I expressed myself through drawing. I won contests in school for my art and was encouraged by my teachers to go into artistic pursuits. I had opportunities to study art, but despite my own preferences and proclivities, I went into the world of law and business. It was one of those decisions where my pragmatic and practical side kicked in. I learned a lot from those years in law and business and my experience in these areas gave me a different perspective on the world than artists who have been involved in creative projects their whole lives. There is a certain degree of directness which exists in the business world. That is trait that has stayed with me, even in creative work.

During the time I was working, I went to many art shows, galleries and museums. It inadequately filled the void of being outside of creative pursuits. Most of my friends were artists. Seeing them work, I longed to be involved in painting and drawing. After years in the business world, I knew that it was time to follow my calling, if only to express myself for myself. What was startling about picking up art later in years was that it radically changed aspects of my life: I was able to express my emotions honestly and without editing. Things that I could not verbalize appeared in my drawings. I realized things about my life that I had either blocked or ignored. I ended a longterm relationship with my partner and permanently stayed in Florida. I think all artists want to express their experience of life through their work. My work is an expression of being human, as I understand it. When I paint or draw, I feel as if I am rendering myself on the canvas or the paper even though the subject has absolutely nothing to do with me. My goal is that through my work, people can connect with their own human experience and ultimately transcend it.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Coming from the world of law and business, I had to unlearn the rigidity of those fields. The creative world is one of release: you make the rules and you can (and are encouraged to) break them. I found that very refreshing. You are not censored for expressing yourself and you can explore your own mind without reserve. This freedom pushes you to do more. It presents a challenge as to how you work. You can choose to combine different media or subject matters. Nothing is off limits. Some interesting pieces have been made from just cutting loose.

Another lesson that I had to unlearn is the idea that you cannot be in art and in other businesses. Now I know that the two are not mutually exclusive. You can definitely be a creative while being in the world of business. Obviously, art is also a business, but I am speaking about outside the art world. I wish I would have understood that at an earlier age

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is when someone looks at my work and connects. I have seen surprise and delight in people when looking at my paintings and drawings. I have also seen them concentrate on certain images and reflect on them, deciphering a meaning for themselves. When this happens, I feel I have been heard. It is precisely these reactions that keep me coming back to the canvas and paper. Another immensely rewarding aspect of being a creative is what I have learned about myself. I understand myself better and that has helped me be more empathic in general. Along those lines, making art is meditation. Many artists say that when they are not able to create, they go insane. For some people, myself among them, art is the key to being balanced. There is no doubt in my mind that being a creative has made me a better person.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.laurencoll.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/coll_miami/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lcollstudio/
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/lauren-coll-44aa23195

Image Credits
Lauren Coll