Artist Laura Naples
You might be surprised to learn that this painter's most prized tool comes from the hardware store: An inexpensive foam paintbrush is the secret behind Laura’s ethereal washes of acrylic paint. “Foam brushes give me the ability to add or subtract paint in a single back-and-forth stroke,” she says. “Their edges are precise when new, and then become jagged with use, which creates a different linear quality and texture.”
Based in Cleveland, Ohio, Laura started her career as a graphic designer, working in advertising, designing stationery, and doing calligraphy – elements of which come into play in her painting. “In 2013, I felt a pull toward doing something more tactile and expressive in an abstract way, and started experimenting with painting. It was very playful, just for me. I developed my own techniques, using small amounts of paint to build color washes and forms in various states of dilution. It’s actually the dilution that produces some of the most interesting effects on canvas.”
“Elements of graphic design and typography that were part of my original training sometimes appear in my work in new ways – circles, linework, layers, even letterforms.” — Laura Naples
Laura started painting part-time while working full-time for the Cleveland Museum of Art. She eventually took the leap of faith to paint full-time and now works in her own studio with high ceilings and natural light. “Working in a larger space has allowed me to expand the scale of my paintings,” says Laura, “although I still have an affinity for small things.” No matter what the scale, an emphasis on playfulness and experimentation continue to animate her work.
Laura Naples is represented by Uprise Art in New York, and her works are part of an exclusive collection offered by DWR.
