About Laura
Medium
Laura Sheridan’s current preferred medium is watercolor painting. “I love the way watercolors dance and play together on paper. You really can’t control the final outcome; it forces you to let go and be surprised, sort of like life.” Her focus with watercolor is to capture the complexity of seemingly simple subjects with balancing light and dark using vibrant colors— the inside of a tomato, the curve of a stem, the multiple values of just one leaf.
Inspiration
After working in the corporate world in her 20’s in Atlanta, GA, Laura returned to school to follow her dream of becoming visual artist, graduating with a BFA in Drawing and Painting from University of Georgia, Athens. Often described as a colorist, Laura began her art journey as a figurative oil painter inspired by the works of Lucian Freud, Alice Neal, Georgia O’Keefe and Vincent van Gogh. After art school, she moved to Santa Fe, NM to pursue her love of art, adventure and nature, primarily trees. There she hiked the area, sketching, painting and exhibiting her large oil paintings, the trees of the Southwest. “Trees have a similar engaging energy as the human form and I am so drawn to their beauty and grace.” She also started a series of humorous cat art, selling to gift shops across the country.
Asheville
Moving to Asheville in 2008, she works from her home in West Asheville in the “tree house”, the upstairs art studio. A beautiful maple tree is at the base of the stairs; “I have to duck under the branches to walk up to the entrance. My studio is a purposefully magical space. Surrounded by twinkle lights, I sit at my drafting table in front of the north facing windows. While working, I can look outside through the high tree branches at the mountain views. I immediately relax into an altered state of peace and joy. It’s my place to retreat from the complications of life and the obligations of house and chores. It’s a place where I am only an artist and where I can create from the quiet connection of nature, my thoughts and my heart.”