Since this page is “about” the artist, I’ll reluctantly share a little about myself—”reluctantly” because I am not the significant story here.
The significant story is the one behind each painting; that story is what makes them come to life. Every painting I do has one, and I’d like to share some of those with you.
As for mine, in becoming “a woman of a certain age,” I made an intentional decision to take full advantage of the gift of health and retirement. Of all of the things I could have done, it was oil painting that won the day. I had already seen how a painting of a dog that had passed through someone’s life could profoundly touch people. Painting for fundraisers for a senior dog hospice rescue group and supporting that cause and the people working so hard behind the scenes gave me a chance to support animal rescue.
Painting had begun to feel like a “gift” that I had been given, that I could give back and share with others.
As I began painting owners with their pets, I wanted to achieve a higher level of likeness and refinement. So, I stopped painting and committed to “Evolve,” an intense art course (more about that on the “Resources” page) that lasted a little over a year. After my final projects, I felt I had the tools I sought and was ready to return to painting.
Commissioned pieces are all that I do. As I paint, I become involved in the subject and the story; it often feels as though there are secrets to be discovered that communicate the emotions that I feel and observe as part of the image. The painting is not done until I have captured not only a likeness but also the soul(s) in their moment: I want to see them, not the painting.
To me, then, the success of a painting is when the observer is drawn into the painting similarly, experiencing the moment and all that is in it, not “a painting.”
Having had the opportunity to learn to paint late in life and to have become part of the sweet stories of the paintings and the souls they portray, well…I am humbled and grateful.
Laurie Pappas
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One more thing before you start to read “About” the paintings… These stories are as they were told to me by the person. They don’t neatly fit into a website format; some of them are way long! But, rather than try to edit them, I decided I’d rather have the format be off and stay true to the telling. I think you’ll agree when you read them.
