We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lauren Silex a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lauren, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

My background is in painting and illustration, but over the years, I’ve tried many creative pursuits: rug making, jewelry making, wearable art, needlework, faux finishing, you name it. I’ve never been afraid to try new creative outlets. My desire had been to marry the ornamentation of Russian and Middle-Eastern culture with Ray Bradbury’s magical story telling, but the results weren’t quite there yet. When the stock market crashed in 2008, both finances and customers evaporated. I took to scissors, glue and paper, using the materials at hand (mail, magazines, flyers, and books), While experimenting, I learned that some publications, such as coffee table books, children’s books and museum catalogues, have much better quality ink and paper than others. Over time, my desire to marry textured and patterned backgrounds with the magic realism of nature became more apparent. I think the most essential skill I’ve developed is to listen, not plan or control. When I begin a piece, I may only have a notion of one color I’d like to explore, or perhaps a particular animal; it’s very vague. Leafing through books and magazines, I just cut out what catches my eye, trying not to edit too much. Inevitably, three or four scraps from a huge pile become dominant and they begin the story. I try to separate myself from the process. Overthinking the current work and it’s outcome hinders the wonder and magic of what arises.

Lauren, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Since childhood, books and the outdoors have been key elements of my life. Libraries and bookstores are sanctuaries and I can never get enough time there. I was also privileged to have grown up in the country, with nearby creeks, pine forests and a swamp, Summers in New Hampshire cemented my love of being alone in the wild. Every part of my youth is woven into the process of making my creatures. Now as an adult, every step in making art is enjoyable for me: sourcing books and magazines at estate sales and book stores, leafing through the stacks and cutting out enticing images, the pile of cuttings on my desk that I sort through for those few gems, pushing and placing those few into a position that writes the sentences of the story.
Some creatures are highly detailed, with finely cut layer upon layer of paper, giving a physical and visual texture, like the crane’s feathers and beak in ‘Beyond Our Dreams’. Other pieces have a richly patterned or colored border that tells the story, such as in ‘Ziggy’s Ears Hum With Gossip’. The thing I love most is that I never know what personality will appear in these portraits. Because of this intimacy, this back and forth of uncovering each one’s story, some of them feel like as close as family.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

For me, the conundrum of being an creative is that it is a somewhat lonely pursuit, and at the same time there needs to be that solitude for growth to happen. My husband is a writer and we both feel that deep need for quiet. Having no music, no talking, a silence that is yours alone to sit and imagine, is nourishing and necessary to bringing forth new ideas. It’s necessary to experience that peace, to listen for what might inspire the next leg of the creative journey.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I want whoever observes my portraits to look beyond the surface image and recognize these characters are in almost everyone’s back yard or neighborhood park. ‘Maurizio the Love God’ is the stray tomcat that skulks around your neighbor’s house at one in the morning, while your drinking a beer on the front steps thinking you’re all alone. The ‘Dragonfire’ beetle holds memories of Coarsegold, California in the scorching summer heat, surrounded by a cloud of buzzing, flying insects. Eddie, the flamingo in ‘Eddies Mohawk Wilts in the Florida Heat’ has a very rich family history, with a great-great-grandmother appearing on the Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom program. Bob the bumblebee, in “Bob Adjusts His Compass For Paradise’, took a wrong turn and ended up falling in love with a gardener. I want the viewer to realize that, through their humanized stories, these creatures are our neighbors. We have a responsibility to care for and preserve the life around us, whether it’s an insect or something much larger.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @lesart55