Interview

Written By Editorial Team

Lauren Walker

Lauren Walker is ‘The Artist Within.’ She is a self-taught acrylic artist from Port Perry, Ontario. Her professional career started four years ago during a very tumultuous time. Lauren suffered from panic attacks, depression and severe anxiety. Art is her saving grace and allowed her to find stability in her life. Art is not a hobby, it is her purpose. Lauren is pursuing bigger opportunities to showcase her work at home and abroad. Her ultimate goal is to build a studio to work with seniors and teach the benefit of creativity for mental health.

 

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“I am a self taught acrylic artist from Port Perry, Ontario. I dabbled with art on and off in my younger years but never pursued it. Writing was my first passion when I was young and continues to be. My true love is painting which came much later but it has become such a wonderful part of my creative evolution. I can't imagine my life without it now. My professional art career started four years ago during a very hard time in my life. I was managing some personal issues and developed severe anxiety and depression. It was very difficult for me to take on every day tasks without feeling afraid all the time. I frequently took walks around my neighborhood to clear my head and one such occasion I felt this overwhelming need to go home and paint. It had been at least fifteen years since I had done anything creative! I was reintroduced to my love of creativity during a very dark period, alas "The Artist Within" emerged. I was able to channel my emotions in to something more productive and whenever I felt overwhelmed, I'd pick up the paint brush. I found myself again through the act of painting and I haven't looked back since. Art is not a hobby, it is my purpose. Since that time, I've had five solo gallery shows and have been published multiple times. I'm proud to be a part of this publication for the second time! Life keeps sending me signs that I am on the right path and I haven't looked back.”

What inspires you?

“The joy of being creative is that you don't have to search for inspiration, it finds you! It's about following my whims. I could be working on an architectural piece and suddenly deviate towards something completely opposite. I love old black and white photographs. I especially love painting monochrome portraits from old photos. It reminds me of a simpler time in life and when I flip through the pages of an old album, I am humbled by the stories that go along with each photo. Everyone I meet has a story and I love being able to share it through my work. My current architectural series is done in monochrome. A building is like a face which has lines, curves and wrinkles. There's a story behind each building and I love the idea of my audience looking at my work and creating their own story line. It's the writer in me that enjoys telling the story and the artist who paints the story on canvas.”

What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?

“I don't actively pursue specific themes and yet they just seem to emerge naturally. My current monochrome series of ‘Interesting Buildings in Ontario’ seems to have a recurring feeling. I like buildings that aren't visually perfect. My work can relay a sense of loneliness and isolation. We often connect with places we've been and without the love, care and attention, those places fall in to disrepair. I purposely paint in ghostly figures in some of my work because I feel as if people try to escape the ghosts of their past. The theme can change as I go and it can be in sharp contrast to what I've already done. My work can also deviate towards social connection and relationships. In some of my pieces, I prefer to create a sense of community. I truly think it all depends on how I'm feeling personally and that can reflect itself in my work. I have learned to follow where my instincts take me.”

How would you describe your work?

“Over the past four years, I've learned that I thrive in the small details. Ever since I was little, I tend to see things differently than other people and notice things that other people miss. I feel like that aspect of my personality really reflects itself in my art. I am a slow painter and if I rush through, my work definitely suffers. I prefer to dedicate my time and effort to create a quality piece. While it allows me a sense of control over what I create, it also allows me the freedom to create what I want. I always give one hundred percent effort to everything I love. I paint with my heart and soul. I am sharing the deepest part of me with the world and while it my be scary, it is also allowing people to get to know me. My work is me.”

Which artists influence you most?

“Artwork that truly inspires me is created by every day people with a genuine skill and passion for art. I am the first to admit, I am not well versed with art history nor do I have any personal interest in learning it. That is not to say it doesn't hold value but I think it depends on the individual and what they relate to. I personally try to focus on the here and now and learn from those in my immediate space. I believe we need to support each other as artists in the present. I value skill from those who are much like me, so to pick up a book and learn from the Old Masters is not my thing. I am a self-taught artist and enjoy learning from my own mistakes. I want to be uninhibited and not bound to a certain set of rules. My encouragement is to find what you relate to and learn from it. I've never followed what other people do because I prefer to go my own way. I believe the path to follow is the one you create yourself.”

“The joy of being creative is that you don't have to search for inspiration, it finds you!”

What is your creative process like?

“This is always an interesting question and yet so hard to answer When I think of the word ‘Process,’ it feels like a set list of rules in order to generate a specific outcome. My mind doesn't work that way at all. I do not approach my work in such a rigid way that I have to do it the same all the time. In high school math class, we were taught that the solution to an equation must be done a certain way. If a student came to the same solution by different means, it was marked as incorrect. Why? You and I may approach the solution to a problem in two very different ways and come to the same conclusion. It's not incorrect, it's just different. There is no right or wrong way to approach your art work. My creative process is like finding ten different solutions to the same math problem. I do not approach my work with the same set of rules and yet the outcome is always correct. I create from a place that is truly limitless and allow myself to explore different ways of manifesting my ideas.”

What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“The goal is to add light and love to the world. I am not interested in telling people what to do or how to see things. I am interested in creating a space where people can be still, silent and relaxed. My purpose is to share who I am with the world and hopefully inspire others to do the same. It's about forging connections with others and allowing people to find the beauty around them in an otherwise chaotic existence. Art is about creating possibility where there isn't one and allowing people to dream beyond their circumstances. That is how I see myself in the grand scheme of things. This is why I will always encourage and support others to nurture their creativity. Let yourself dream and chase your happiness. Art is inclusive. You can be anyone from anywhere and create beautiful things, so go and do it!”

Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?

“I've had work showcased in Athens, Barcelona, London and Toronto with the Holy Art Gallery. I will have my fifth solo gallery show in March 2025 at the Kent Farndale Gallery in Port Perry, Ontario.”

 
Editorial Team
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