Interview
Laura el-Baroudi
Laura is a self-taught, intuitive abstract artist. She paints abstract acrylics on canvas and paper, but she also designs mixed media collages. She has a passion for painting and creating art that drives her. Painting is a form of expression and communication that gives her an outlet for her inner world. When Laura paints, she enters a meditative flow and time becomes fluid, and all that exists in that moment is the painting. She gravitates towards using neon acrylic in her work because she feels that they give a sense of vibrancy to the work. Some of her mixed media works include objects such as beads, metallic objects, crushed glass gravel, sand, glitter, crystals, modeling paste, metal foil, and various types of paper. Her paintings are an expressive and spontaneous act of creation which links her both to her inner world and to the field to which we all belong. For Laura, painting and making art is a way of expressing feelings and concepts that are just below the conscious level of awareness. There are emotions and ideas which cannot be easily or fully accessed or expressed through our verbal language, and painting provides another way to explore, develop and share these unspoken messages.
It is a way of reflecting on our inner landscape, bringing it to the surface and sharing it with the outer world. The act of creating and painting can provide a therapeutic and spiritual value both to the artist and to those who interact with the art. While she sometimes has a specific plan in terms of a concept or feeling that she wants to express, Laura often just starts painting and see what comes forward from there. She is often more drawn to the act of spontaneous expression without any plan or preconceived idea. As such, the outcome of the painting arises as it is being created.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“Although I was interested in painting from a young age, I never pursued the arts in any marked way. I thought I wasn't any good at drawing, and that mastery drawing was a necessary step before pursuing painting. As a young adult, I thought of other ways I could have an artistic career and looked at courses designing furniture or becoming some kind of artisan, but I did not have the confidence to pursue these goals. My family had a strong input in my future, and going to a university and getting a degree from an academic institution was considered what was the norm and what was best. I took several drawing courses as an adult, but I never found that I could express myself in the way that I wanted to, nor did I find I had any talent in drawing. I was also under the self-limiting belief that becoming excellent at drawing was a prerequisite to painting.
Later in life, I wanted to take painting courses, but my work was very time consuming, and I never seemed to find the time to take a class. During Covid, I finally decided it was time to try painting workshop through a local non-profit art program. I took a class and instead of following the technique for that first class, I painted the canvas solely from my own imagination without any input. I was surprised that I could paint something without any real knowledge of painting or rather without any education or instructional background. I continued to paint on my own, and over time, I became more and more passionate about painting. I started to spend all my nights and all my weekends painting. Over time, I moved from acrylics to mixed media and then into collages. My favorite media currently is creating mostly paintings in acrylic and mixed media collages that I create with collage papers I design with acrylics and stencils as well as journal papers, and decoupage items. I often use washi paper to create my collage papers, but sometimes I use old art journals or other types of magazines.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“The two main themes that I think are most common in my art are nature and spirituality, but I think these concepts can and do relate to the current political issues. Nature is often the inspiration and topic of my art for many reasons. We are nature as our DNA is made of the Earth and as such we are part of the Earth and all that is on it. While many people see themselves as different and often superior or in control of nature or other animals, I do not see this separation or believe that we have this dominion over nature. I believe we are equally a part of nature as are plants, trees, mountains, rivers and as are all the animals that live here. In other words, we are not superior to other living beings in nature, nor do we have any dominion over the Earth more than any plants or living animals do. We have an equal partnership and are co-creators rather than rulers or owners of this Earth. This has a political meaning to it as a matter of consequence. If we are not in control of the Earth, but instead we have an equal partnership with the Earth and all the living beings that inhabit the Earth, we cannot treat the Earth or other animals as if they are less important or do not require any consideration, protection or guardianship.
As far as spirituality, I do believe that there is a Source God or Unity to which all conscious beings belong. I also believe in the ideas emerging in both quantum theory and metaphysics lead to the conclusion that we are all a piece of this unified consciouness. Both physics and spirituality are in agreement with the conclusion that not only are we consciousness, but so is everything that is in the universe including the fields of energy around us that we cannot see, but exert an impact on us as we do on them. In addition to these concepts, I do believe we have been part of a kind of experiment here on Earth. The experiment being a forgetting of who we are with some people taking this all the way to the opposite extreme of what we really are as humans. We are God conscouness, yet in the forgetting, people have become increditly lost in the experiment. They have gone so far into forgetting they are part of the God consciousness to which we all belong, that they have inverted everything and now worship the opposite. We have learned in the news about the world cult and their terrible behaviour and worship of darkness and they are those who are most powerfully invested in lies, greed, corruption, war, selfishness and all that is opposite to the Source God or Unity.
However, I think we are either heading towards a great reset and a massive transformation. A reset being a massive loss of life due to sudden changes perhaps in the Earth such as came with the previous flood and/or a huge spiritual transformative shift in which people rememeber who they really are. This remembering has been labeled the great awakening. Once the awakening has started, which it has, nothing and no one can stop this. Although those in the world cult know they have lost, they do not want to stop. They are throwing everything they can at us to stop this shift, but even they know the future. They have developed technology to see into the future and they know there is no way they can win. Their attempts are futile. I have gone far down the rabbit hole with this, but coming back to how this relates to politics, and nature, it is that through our connection to nature and Source God that we can return to who we really are and become as God meant us to be. Consumerism, capitalism, class sytems, money, control, domination and war have no place in the shift and consciouness that comes with awakening. All of the systems will be changing. Some more quickly and some more slowly.
Famous quote from Hopi elders about the prophecy of the great transformation. ‘There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly. Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.’”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“When I create, I often feel like I go inside myself to an unspoken or unconscious side of myself, or it can be inside a kind of connected field to get my ideas and create. When I create in this way, I have no plans at all. I simply start and things evolve as they evolve. For me, this is not difficult to do, it is a very natural and intuitive process. I think that we all have an energy field, and this field can also connect to the larger fields. Our heart is a very powerful toroidal energy field, and it connects outwards and around us. At other times, I do have a specific plan. Often when I create a collage, I might be inspired by something in nature. It can be something as simple and beautiful as a try, or the colors in the sky during the sunset. In the case of collages, I used to lay out papers in layers and be very specific. As I become more and more comfortable with the format, there is much less planning. However, I often do think of some general colors to collect to start the project. I might have a sense of working with blue and green and start by collecting pieces of this color. After this, it may diverge and go in different directions. As far as planning, I do not sketch or create something specific before by hand. I find even when I have a more specific plan before hand, things can take shape very differently than what I had planned. Sometimes, the painting has something to say, or perhaps I did not listen to what was inside me trying to come out, and I have to keep going until this is reached and resolved.”
Are there any art world trends are you following?
“I don’t think that I consciously follow trends, but I think artist are highly influenced by other artists. It was looking at other artists that I became more familiar and enamored with neon acrylic paints and colors such as neon and fluorescent pink, yellow and orange. Also, it was at a art exhibition that I first talked to an artist about her work which was collage based. It was looking at this artist's work and learning how she made her art which first excited me about making my own collages. It was seeing that artist's work in person, and talking to her about her process that inspired me. Also, it was at an art show that I learned more about washi paper. There was an artist who was making traditional washi paper, and it really opened my eyes to the beauty of this paper. I include washi paper in most of my collages. I often paint pieces of paper in acrylics, paint designs on them or use stencils to create my collage papers for my artworks.”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“As far as my acrylic paintings, I like to use various spatulas as well as brushes to apply the paint and do mark making. I usually use the ends of the spatulas to make marks in the paint or move the paint around the canvas or paper. Lately, I have found I have a preference for creating art on paper rather than on canvas. While canvas is best for very layered and textured work, I think paper takes in paint much more naturally and easily than canvas. There is dry and somewhat more brittle feeling to working on canvas for me, but I suppose it is really just a preference. If you are doing many layers and using a lot of mixed media or paste, then a canvas is a better option. If you want to do collage work or create more delicate or thinly set paintings, paper is preferable for me. For collages, I usually use a gloss medium to adhere and seal the collage. It protects and seal the work and paper against UV light and helps keep its longevity so that it doesn't yellow. For canvases, I often use a gloss medium or varnish to seal the painting. In the case of paintings with collages, it is more often gloss and for acrylics, I use a matte, satin or gloss varnish.”
What does your art mean to you?
“For me, art is a way of going inside myself and of putting that which I cannot name into a medium in which I can express it. It is a way of dealing with and interacting with my emotions and a way to express my point of view. For me, my art is a passion. When I create my art, I go into a state of flow in which eight hours could feel like one hour. It is this state of flow which is a kind of escape and also a means of dealing with things I cannot readily explain to others or even sometimes myself. I think flow is an authentic place you can be yourself and not worry about anything else. Painting can be a way to deal with difficult emotions such as depression and anxiety, but it is also a way to feel and share love and joy. One thing I love about painting is there is not a right feeling, no right way, and no right result. In a world where things are seen as right or wrong or black and white, art does not place these limitations of duality on the artist or observer. It is a way to be free of normal limitations because it is a place where there are no limits to what you can create, no one to tell you what or how to do it, no goals to reach but that of your own making. I also want to create pieces that bring joy and meaning to others. I want others to find something inside themselves that maybe they didn't know was there, or perhaps to bring to mind again a long forgotten feeling or memory tucked away a corner of their mind they have forgotten. It is a form of communication that is not limited to time, to space or to speech. It is a form of communication in silence and in emotion that is not bounded by ordinary rules. It is a communication between you and those who observe and engage with your art. The communication between artist and observer is not bounded by ordinary rules. Art in all its forms is a a communication without any defining limits.”
What’s your favourite artwork and why?
“I think that my favorite artwork is titled Forest of My Dreams and is a mixed media painting which includes stenciled collage pieces on washi paper. For me, it is a favorite mixed media painting because it represents trees, but in a kind of otherwordly and imagined way. I can say there is a surreal quality to this painting . The trees are gold and have tiny bits of colored paint on them. The colors of the light in and around the trees are bright neon orange, burnt sienna and neon yellow acrylic. The colors are not expected, but they are colors that I love and it brings to life my vision of trees as I imagined them in this dream forest I created. The stenciled collage pieces on washi with neon yellow and orange were adhered after the painting was completed, and it was something unplanned. and it was an afterthought. It was a transition piece for me in which I first included collage pieces into a painting. It was an experimental piece, but I really felt like the combination worked. It demonstrated to me how collage could be incorporated into my acrylic paintings and over time, mixed media collages have become a mainstay of what I create.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I have been in a few group exhibitions related to a community art group that I belonged to called the Don Vallery Art Club in 2024-2025, and I had a painting accepted into a juried art exhibition at Lesley Grove Art Gallery in Toronto in 2025. The Don Valley art group includes amateur to professional artists. There is no jury for these exhibitions. I had one painting that was in the Winter show of 2024 at the Woman's Art Association of Canada, Dingham Gallery. I had a painting there called Passion which sold. I had a painting in the Spring of 2025 at the Papermill Gallery and that one did not sell. I had a painting in a juried show at Lesley Grove Gallery which is a Toronto non-profit gallery. That one did not sell. I will put the link here. The show was called ‘Common Ground: What Unites Us.’ To be honest, I have been contacted by various art galleries, one in New York contacted me to apply, but they wanted me to pay money to be exhibited if I was accepted. They liked my work, so I think it may have been accepted. However, my funds have been low for some years and I cannot afford to pay hundreds of dollars to ship and also to have my art work shown. I was also contacted by the Women's Essence Awards exhibition 10 year anniversary in Italy to apply and sent a message through instagram to apply recently to Gallery Gaudi for international exhibitions, but honestly the fees are too high for me, so I didn't apply. I think the essance award was in Italy and the whole fees were close to 1000$ and the Gaudi Gallery in Madrid is very similar. I think they wanted 1200 and this could be in pounds? Maybe for multiple shows, but for me, this is a lot of money. Of course, if things are in Europe, I also have to pay for packing and shipping. I probably need to apply more in Toronto and nearby, but really nothing very special has happened yet for galleries.”
Instagram: @lauraartisticdesigns
Brush Bio: www.brush.bio/lauraeb
Other links: www.artistsnetwork.ca/artists-calendar/common-ground
