Tell us about your work. What inspires you?
I create minimalist abstract paintings inspired by landscapes. Particularly, geological formations shaped by erosion. I’m drawn to places like southern Utah, the Grand Canyon, the Wasatch Range, Ireland’s Causeway Coast and all around me in Arkansas.
What inspires me most are the essential forms within those environments: the curve of a canyon wall, the fracture of basalt cliffs, the silhouette of desert mesas and the shapes of water in creeks and lakes. I reduce these influences into simplified shapes and layered color fields. Negative space plays a central role in my work; it creates stillness and allows the forms to breathe.
What is your process?
Art is a long investment. I began painting in 2016 and have worked full-time as an artist since 2018, but the real investment began long before that, in years of observing landscape, traveling, gardening and learning to see shape and negative space.
Each painting can take weeks. I work in layers with acrylic underpainting, oil and charcoal line work, sometimes adding powdered granite and allowing surfaces to build slowly. I often step away from a piece and return to it with fresh eyes. My process is one of reduction. I distill landscapes of canyon walls, desert mesas, mountain ridges, even the winding path of my garden into essential forms. It’s patient work. I’m not trying to replicate a scene; I’m trying to uncover its structure.
Why is it important to invest in local art and local artists?
Investing in local artists strengthens the cultural fabric of a community. Artists document a region’s landscape, history and emotional identity in ways that are unique and personal.
When you support a local artist, you’re not just purchasing a painting, you’re sustaining creative work, small business and cultural vitality within your own city. You’re helping ensure that art continues to be made where you live.
There’s also something deeply meaningful about owning work created by someone who walks the same streets, hikes the same trails and shares the same community. It creates connection and pride of place.
To view more of Laura's works, visit Art Group Gallery and laurawelshans.com.