This inspiring artist has discovered that, through the melody of life, they are now playing her song.
For as far back as she can remember, Laura Oczos always wanted to be an artist. Life, however, took her in another direction. After studying Fine Arts at university and holding a few exhibitions, she began teaching Special Education and was drawn to the stability of a life that offered a regular income and financed the travelling she enjoyed.
After a 14-year hiatus from painting, Laura was at a low point in her life and found herself painting again. “I was a solo parent on maternity leave and started painting as a cathartic outlet,” she says. From then on she decided that art was indeed her calling. Picking up a paint brush was for her like coming home. “I realised how much I missed it and how happy it made me,” she reflects.
Laura describes her style as abstract expressionism. Her preferred mediums are acrylic, ink and aerosol paint. This talented artist’s work is constantly evolving. These days it incorporates a more augmented sense of flow and she has pared down the decorative elements. Her latest works have a more limited colour palette, with more glazing and acrylic washes. “It’s taken a few years to settle on a style I’m happy with, but I’m finally there now with my new body of work and I’m getting ready to launch,” she says.
Laura’s work is autobiographical in nature; a symphony of remembrances is played out on the canvas, with each work a time or event from her life. “Ultimately, my paintings are maps or visual timestamps that I see as proof I existed, so I’m very inspired by cartography or any kind of data mapping and aerial photography,” she muses.
Laura’s expressive approach to life and art dictates her taste in furnishings. She believes furniture must be comfortable first and foremost, but she loves statement pieces or anything that has a history. “I prefer moodier, dirty colours and am drawn to clashing or unexpected colour combinations. I tend to like anything that looks a bit ugly,” she explains.
As she embraces the next chapter of her story, Laura wants to keep growing and developing as an artist. “If I could be in my studio every day, I’d be very happy. I don’t need much more than that.”
For more information