We were lucky to catch up with LaWann Tull recently and have shared our conversation below.

LaWann, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?

A surprise silver box was delivered three months after our beloved daughter, Michelle Tull Bynum got her wings in 2011. Inside the package from our daughter was an engraved box with her name, painting knife and note saying, ‘Go back to painting mother. I’ll be looking over your shoulder…”.

The paints had been packed away for years when I moved from the Houston area to the Texas hill country to focus on caring for my 14-month old infant grandson Reid and our daughter. She battled many years to survive misdiagnosed late stage breast cancer at least long enough for her son to be able to remember her and see him enter first grade. I took her out of the hospital that special day on the guise of going to the cafeteria and drove her to Liberty Hill, TX where she walked in with her young son to first grade, saw his desk and met the teacher. She had fought hard for that moment and she made it and he remembers.

Our daughter was very concerned about what I was going to do with the rest of my life once she could stay no longer and the time was drawing near. With the help of a close friend, she arranged f0r me a birthday gift as well as Mother’s Day Flowers to be delivered a few months after she got her wings. The unexpected engraved silver box and note inspired me to unpack the dusty oil paints and retreat three different times to a small medieval village in Italy to start painting again with a group taught by master artist Vie Dunn-Harr of San Antonio who encouraged me to seek the healing with creativity and art.. They knew what I needed when I didn’t. It’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.

I currently have a one-woman show with 48 paintings at the Georgetown Public Library through July 31. When I was initially selected out of all the other applicants, I felt for a moment like the dog must have felt when he caught the car! I pushed a lot of paint to cover 190 feet. The show opening was attended by a hundred patrons, friends and family as well as Vie Dunn-Harr who led those workshops in Italy years earlier. As I looked through the gallery at my solo show “It’s All About the Lights” I felt like my beloved daughter was indeed looking over my shoulder and smiling.

I am painting full time. My work features dramatic lighting and atmospheric effects in idealistic settings meant to stimulate imagination. My current show is composed of new and retrospective paintings of animals, people, still life, and landscapes. I paint the things I most deeply respond to and have been described as a whimsical and romantic painter. During a show in Italy a professor likened my paintings to being in a dream! I paint idealism. My unique indirect style is identified by inner-glow lighting created with a glazing technique from the Old Masters.

I grew up in West Texas and following graduation I landed my dream job as a sales agent with two international airlines and later hosted groups traveling extensively. Exposure to art museums worldwide have greatly influenced my style and artistic expression. I have studied with some of the most notable artists in the nation including master artist Tina Garrett, Daniel E. Greene, David Cheifetz, Dick Turner, and Dalhart Windberg to name a few.

I am a native Texan and reside in the hill country outside of Georgetown, TX and am a board member of the Williamson County Art Guild. My work is currently at Framer’s Gallery on Main Street in Georgetown and Main Street Market Place in Liberty Hill, TX. I’m seeking opportunities to expand my exposure and push a lot more paint.

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 covered so much of this with the previous question. My international career in the travel industry exposed me to art worldwide and I made every museum. My family was convinced I had never met a museum I didn’t like. While in school I envisioned being an artist with an easel setup in my apartment so everyone would know. It wasn’t until I saw the work of the late Dick Turner, an artist in Houston at an exhibit at the Astrodome did I know what method I was driven to learn. Dick was an indirect painter and I ended up studying the glazing technique going once a week for eight years. It’s as beautiful way of painting but one that I don’t see often. I taught it privately for a few years. It sets my work apart with the inner-glow and colors that are optically mixed. I am primarily a studio painter and work from my own photography but often paint with visions out of my head. Glazing lends itself to creativity to turn an abstract into an impression of idealism. I am most proud of the current solo show in Georgetown, TX of 48 pieces. It was a challenge that felt good to meet and the show has been very well received.

I am consistently striving to expand my education by studying with other artists and continuing to travel. I’m always looking for another adventure and artistic endeavor.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, art is communication. Being an artist opens up conversation and imagination with total strangers. For a viewer to expound on what they see and feel when they identify with my work is hugely rewarding. I paint idealism and places I wish existed with mood and atmospheric effects. I paint to stimulate imagination and tell a story without words. It thrilled me when a professor saw my painting in a show in Italy and said it was like a dream! That’s a rewarding feeling.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I have lived a fairytale life, married my best friend and had two beautiful daughters. I loved art and travel and landed a dream job traveling internationally which exposed me to cultures only seen in the movies. After jobs in sales with three airlines and later became Director of Group Sales for a large travel agency in Houston and there was limited painting time. I became a Master Cruise Counselor and was traveling more than my husband, who was a corporate pilot. As I yearned to have more time at the easel I grew tired of trying to do both and decided to retire and paint full time. At that time my life took an abrupt turn not only in a career move but a nightmare of indescribable proportion. Our 32-year old daughter with a 14-month old baby had been previously misdiagnosed and she had 4th stage breast cancer. We moved from our home of 32 years to Georgetown for me to take care of her and our infant grandson. The art supplies were packed away and I didn’t think I would ever get back to them when we lost her after six years of her battling. The turning point was the engraved silver box she had arranged to be delivered to me on my birthday with the note and painting knife inside. I covered this in the additionally in first question. It was a life changer and I couldn’t get enough art to fill my life and I’m grateful for art.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.LaWannTull.com
• Facebook: LaWann Tull Fine Art