Lauren K. Woodward

Lauren K. Woodward has defined herself as an artist since Kindergarten. Much of her early art education took place at the Peterson Art Center. During 2004 she completed a semester in Cortona, Italy studying art history, painting, drawing and book making through the University of Georgia. In 2005 she earned a BFA from the University of Utah with an emphasis in painting and drawing. Since graduating she has explored what it means to have a career as a working artist and the ways artistic goals can change through different seasons of life. After becoming a mother in 2010 it was challenging to keep up with shows and galleries but Lauren continued to paint quietly whenever she could. In 2017 Lauren decided to recommit to a daily art practice and began to reenter the professional art community in Utah. Currently she spends most of her time caring for her three young daughters and does much of her painting at the kitchen table. Lauren is in the process of exploring themes of family life, growth and raising children through abstract conceptual mixed media paintings. She is also interested in capturing vibrant abstract landscapes and cloudscapes. In the past two years Lauren has sold art at fourteen seasonal art markets including the Utah Art Market, the Beehive Bazaar, Salt & Honey and the Bloem Market. In July of 2018 Lauren exhibited a collection of colorful abstract paintings at the Salt Lake City Public Library in a solo show entitled “Movement, Balance and Refracted Light.” She has taught several painting workshops and teaches children’s art camps every summer.

Artist Statement
I am currently exploring themes of family life, growth, parenthood and balance through a series of abstract mixed media paintings. These works are based on personal feelings and interactions with my family represented through color choice and mark making. For example in my piece “Reimagining Winter” I wanted the patterns to converge into a cozy nest-like shape, representing home and a season of rest. The gold and faint pink are inspired by the beautiful sunrises and sunsets that seem even more special during the darker months. The lighter blue marks remind me of hundreds of joyful little footprints my girls have stamped into the snow. In my piece “Before the Storm” I was thinking about the colors of the sky and the movement of the clouds before a big storm. Storms sometimes have negative associations, but they can also be a symbol of change, they cleanse the earth and help new things to grow. In this piece I am looking for the beauty in that time before growth or change comes about, that chaotic time of exploring solutions and searching for something more. I feel driven to create a sense of movement within my paintings. I feel this represents the flow of time as well as a quest for balance. My goal is for these works to capture my experiences in a unique way and speak to others through a universal language of color and pattern.