Meet Laura Gee, London-based abstract artist & educator, and THE THREAD JOURNAL’s latest Insider – an individual who embodies a connection to their surroundings at home and in their work.
Laura is inspired by nature and the positive effect that art, like nature, has on wellbeing, helping to relieve stress and anxiety. Additionally, Laura believes that by tapping into our creativity we can access our most powerful and authentic selves.
I experienced this shift first-hand when I attended one of the workshops that Laura leads in her light-filled studio. We were guided by Laura through simple techniques to create layers in our artwork and then given space to tap into our intuition to see where it led us.
It was a truly powerful experience, I felt my nervous system down-regulate to a calm, mellow frequency and felt connected, free and in flow. There is something very refreshing about being fully immersed in a process with no expectation or attachment to the result.
I took the opportunity to talk to Laura about her relationship to space on a personal level and how it provides a grounding foundation to her work…
Describe who you are and what you do.
I’m Laura, an artist living and working in London. I create intuitive art inspired by nature and based on the idea that art, just like nature, can alleviate stress and anxiety, and that tapping into your own creativity is where your most powerful and authentic self resides. I create expressive paintings, drawings and prints, alongside my studio practice I run workshops that help children and adults access their creative confidence.
What led you on your path?
I have always known I wanted to create art, I just didn’t know in what context, and now I realise the great thing about being an artist is the process, its always unfolding and changing, and it’s okay to not be fixed in one subject or place.
I started off drawing and then graduated with a degree from Manchester School of Art, I then moved more into abstract intuitive painting. My art has always been like a private visual diary, just now it’s become more public. Each piece is the essence of a memory, an emotion, or a feeling I wanted to translate into art. As I can work for hours alone painting and creating, I felt the need to reconnect with others, and have been enjoying leading and assisting workshops for the past five years. I love being able to connect, support and create with others. Seeing someone else’s creativity be given the chance to express itself in the workshops is a delight to facilitate.
Where is home for you?
Currently home for me is Stoke Newington, London, and also my studio in Dalston, but my ‘home home’ is Nottingham.
How would you describe your home?
Full and beautiful, a mixture of new and old, of sacred objects and calming colours. I find I seem to be drawn to creating a spring-like aesthetic. I like my walls quite minimal with small pops of tranquil colour.
Because I work with images all day I like having my relaxing space quite stripped down of visual art and pictures. So the only images there are are reminders to point me towards a certain mindset or gateway to a feeling. I also have on my walls special mementos such as sketchbook paintings from times on holiday, a painting by my grandfather he created as a child, dried flowers from family weddings and a couple of little postcards from recent exhibitions.
What does homecoming mean to you?
Home is wherever I am my most authentic and happiest self, and that is normally with my close loved ones, creating art and being at peace in nature. I think home is something within you that you carry around and can create and experience anywhere you want.
What is the first thing you do when you return home?
I take off all ‘outdoor’ over clothes and put on my slippers, normally, I stop and sit or lie down for a few moments, to just be, before starting the rest of the day. When I arrive in the studio I do a similar thing: take off my outdoor clothes and shoes, change into studio shoes and painting clothes, and sit with a coffee. I like to take a few moments to just be before creating, to settle into a relaxed open mindset.
I’ve realised that establishing a relaxing atmosphere is so important to align and be in the flow for creating. This applies to creating art but also for any task or duty. There is so much more power if you can be at ease before starting. I try and cultivate this atmosphere before I get into the studio.
How do you unwind in your home?
I love lighting a candle, and listening to gentle music such as miracle manifestation music on repeat, it helps me to relax. Or watching a talk by an inspiring person with a cup of tea.
Do you have a sacred space or favourite place in your studio?
I love working on my paint-splattered desk in my studio next to my window. I like the juxtaposition between looking far out and seeing the sky and trees and then seeing my blank paper or canvas in front of me. I really like this mixture of faraway and up-close. I use that a lot in my work with layering, and the contrast of light beaming in and casting shadows from my studio objects. I love the duality that nature provides and try to highlight this in my work: light and dark, calm and bold.
What makes a space sacred?
I think it’s about cultivating the right energy and doing work which resonates from your highest self. That space could be anywhere, but creating a loving and kind energy is so important. Therefore it’ll be reflected in the respectful treatment of the space and hopefully how people behave and interact within it.
How does your connection to space play a part in your work?
I believe that what I end up painting is a direct response to the sacred sense of atmosphere or mindset I try and create before putting brush to canvas. Each artwork inherently stems from my energy and surroundings and what I am inspired to create by those conditions in that moment, therefore a direct representation of both this outer and inner world.
How do you make your workspace inspirational?
I like to have some favourite artist books, poetry and references. From outsider art books to Rumi poetry, also fresh flowers and a few postcards from recent inspiring exhibitions and a lot of white wall space to fill up and then clear away.
What rituals do you carry out in your home/studio?
Aside from the important ritual of taking care to ease into the day and establish a relaxing energy before creating, other rituals include writing and journalling at home both my private thoughts and work tasks for the day. I find it incredibly grounding to do this each morning in order to refresh my mind and to see my thoughts and goals for the day on paper.
Whenever I am about to start a new piece of work I always make a coffee, its only half way into painting that I realise I haven’t managed to have a sip yet, but there’s a ritual aspect of having the coffee and smell there and then starting.
Also whenever I am creating art I have my private studio journal open next to me, words and thoughts come flooding in when I create and I like to write these down in the middle of the pieces. Its a reminder of what the painting is trying to tell me, and the thoughts and feelings I am tapping into.
What are your home aspirations?
I would love to have a beautiful, calming space with warmth and personality, with lots of space and light and room to bring the outdoors, inside. For it to be loved and lived in, if a little worn in places (a bit like a favourite book which has been read again and again so that the corners bend!).
If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
By the sea and surrounded by trees… simple pleasures. I’m not sure where yet, maybe the UK or a quiet village somewhere soaked in nature.
It’s more of a feeling, and I think I’ll know when I find it.
Find out more about Laura’s offerings,
Visit Laura’s website to view original paintings and prints
Sign up to the newsletter to find out more about upcoming creative workshops
Follow Laura on Instagram for lots of calming and joyful visual inspiration
