An Interview With Australian Artist Lauren Perkins...

Longing For You by Lauren Perkins

'They are gentle works that act as visual mantras to open the door to an inner quietude'.

These are words from an art review about the dreamy, revealing, and emotive paintings of well known Australian artist Lauren Perkins.

Lauren's work is largely inspired by her life, memories, and imagination. Closing her eyes, she'll often be inspired by how she wants each painting to feel, rather than working directly from real life images.

Painting from the heart.

The capturing of a moment in time....

...a glimpse into the world of another.

Friday Night by Lauren Perkins

I asked Lauren to share with us some thoughts about her painting, her Secret Room, and what she's 'gotta thing' for...

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H.A.H (Heartfire At Home): What's your first memory of picking up a paintbrush... and what did you paint?

Lauren: I first started painting in an art class actually, it was only around 15 years ago and I painted an upside down head as a tonal exercise. I was quite pleased with it but sad to realise that my first painting wasn’t an original.

H.A.H: If you had a Secret Room you could decorate/design just for you, what would it look like?

Lauren: Oh but I do have a secret room! It's my art studio. For me a special room doesn’t have to be beautiful to be special, and you don’t need to spend a lot of money.

My special room is outside of the main house in an old small brick building that I cleaned out and painted the inside walls white. It has a large wooden art easel, a long table for my paints, a concrete floor (so I can be free to be messy), a large green leather chair to sit back in ($20 from the op shop), a homemade painting rack to put my paintings in, music, and the most important part is that my kids aren’t allowed to be in it!

My secret room is a place where I am free to work on my art without the distractions and pressures of life.

Decadence by Lauren Perkins

H.A.H: Have you gotta 'thing' for anything like I have for owls (among other things)? And, do you know why you think you have a 'thing' for it?

Lauren: I don’t have a passion for 'things' or collect anything in particular, although I would collect art if I could afford to!

I do have a love for raw umber, it’s such a beautiful colour to me. It’s so dark and rich, very much like dark chocolate and I use it all the time in my paintings. (You can see this in Lauren's painting titled 'Missing You' below).

Missing You by Lauren Perkins

H.A.H: Do you find it hard to let go of each of your paintings? Or are you happy to see them go to a home where they will inspire their new owner?

Lauren: I think in a way the paintings are hard to say goodbye to because I know that I will probably never see them again. However, it is the greatest compliment to me as an artist when someone decides to spend their hard earned money and take a painting home and make it part of their life.

I know with my own paintings on my own walls that I often admire them, and people who visit often stop and ask me about them and admire them too. So the thought of my work being admired in the heart of someone’s home makes it worth saying goodbye to them.

Then We Collide by Lauren Perkins

H.A.H: What do you hope to do/achieve next?

Lauren: I have a solo exhibition coming up in December so I am madly painting for that. I try not to plan goals too much in advance, which goes against what most business people tell you to do but I put my trust in God to give me opportunities in ways that go above and beyond what I could ever expect for myself!

One of the most inspiring quotes for me is this; “Know the true value of time; snatch, seize and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness; no procrastination; never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”

My plan is to work hard and to not waste a single day procrastinating or regretting the things that I could have done with my life but never got around to.

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Thanks Lauren for giving us a little glimpse into your artistic life, and congratulations on your up-coming solo exhibition!

You can catch Lauren's solo exhibition at the Town and Country Gallery, 111 Princes Highway, Yarragon, Victoria.

The grand opening is on Saturday the 5th of December, 2009, at 2pm!! Small paintings will be available for last minute Christmas gifts and food will be prepared by the 2009 Gippsland signature dish winner, Chef Trevor Perkins.

I know Lauren would love to see you there!

To see some of Lauren's other beautiful artworks visit her website at www.laurenperkins.com

Cheers,

Linda.

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