Issue No. 1: More about the artist

Welcome to the first issue of my blog! My name is Laura, I’m a self-taught, self-employed landscape artist based in Toronto, ON, Canada.

I started painting in April of 2020. I liked art as a child but throughout school and into adulthood, I pursued other interests including drama and psychology. In 2018, I earned an MA in psychological science and went on to begin my PhD for a brief period of time. Life as a grad student was hard on my mental health and after a leave of absence and some travel, I ultimately decided that academia wasn’t for me. Within 6 months of making that decision, I found myself locked-down in a global pandemic, caught squarely in the middle of a pivot.

Some things take time to unfold. Rewind a bit to 2018, the end of my MA — I was strongly advised to find a hobby and I decided to take a beginner watercolour class. I really never liked watercolour growing up (ironically), but around that time a friend had shown me the work she made in her watercolour class and it was beautiful. Since I was a bit skeptical of the whole hobby thing, I figured this was the easiest choice. Maybe something would be different this time…

In that class, I learned the fundamentals — basic colour theory, water control, drawing from life, etc. I found it both relaxing and frustrating, and I finished the class with a feeling of “I’m glad I did that, but I doubt I’ll do much of it again.”

(I remember feeling particularly intimidated by the idea of landscape painting in this class. I found it difficult and I didn't love the results. Looking back now, I can see some promise!)

Fast forward to April 2020 and what do I have but time and half-used watercolour supplies. I decided to try them out again, choosing to paint subjects in my immediate environment: produce, sprouts, pinecones, trees… the landscape.

Suffice to say, painting during this time completely changed my life. I felt as though I was seeing the world again through fresh eyes.

(Some paintings from The 100 Day Project I completed in 2020. I painted 100 mini watercolour landscapes (2.5x5” each) and the growth I saw during this time was unbelievable.)

My friends and family encouraged me to start an Instagram account, just for fun. Timidly, under a pseudonym, I began sharing my work into the world with very few expectations. Within a year I had started receiving commissions, opened an Etsy shop and dropped the pseudonym to embrace myself as the artist.

And now, here we are, almost 5 years later and art is now my life. I’m no longer just a watercolour painter — I work in multiple mediums but I’ve stuck with landscapes as my preferred subject.

2025 will be my first full calendar year as a full-time artist and I hope to make the most of it… stay tuned for more.

Thank you for reading — feel free to leave a comment and say hi. Otherwise, talk soon!

(A complete coincidence that I found this photo of myself when I was 2 years old days after the photo on the right was taken. From chalk to soft pastel!)

Professional photography by Captured by Caro.