Meet Lauren Brush!
Lauren is one of PPWS’ Featured Artists for March 2025!
Lauren has joined PPWS in 2025, after moving to Colorado Springs in November of 2024. She is an Associate Member.
Lauren’s Bio:
I went to school in rural Maryland (MD), then lived in suburban MD for career and family. Now that my son and daughter have landed in NC and NJ respectively, my husband and I sold our MD house to explore other options.
I have always loved art and biology. As an only child I entertained myself with all sorts of arts and crafts when I wasn’t roaming the local forests. I initially worked in biotech and environmental monitoring, then the creative itch forced me to quit my “real job” to become a self-taught web designer/developer. That led to the perfect blend of art and science working on various web design and online projects at the National Institutes of Health. Since 2013 I’ve been designing computer interfaces and managing projects to ensure usability of all sorts of impactful applications for the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. While working, my husband and I were able to travel extensively, and I took thousands of reference photos along the way, but 4 weeks a year wasn’t enough time to explore the world.
In 2017 my husband and I bought a sailboat, intending to focus on travel by living aboard inexpensively. We expected to retire in 2020 but COVID interfered (yes, even sailing was prohibited for a while!). During lock-down I started painting “kindness rocks.” The first time I saw a Facebook post of a beaming little girl holding a rock I’d left along the path, I was hooked. Making art quickly with the intention of giving it away was transformative. I had always invested so much time in my paintings that I would only give them to close relatives so I could still visit them. While painting rocks I developed simpler compositions and techniques that allowed me to paint faster. With little time invested, it was much easier to give them away and I had a blast scattering happiness. I also entertained myself with designing and constructing a pop-up book for my first grandchild, and I joined a few art-related Facebook groups which got me interested in nature and art journaling. Being trapped allowed me to create daily, which was incredibly fulfilling.
When we were able to resume sailing, I brought along enough small journals, blank postcards and watercolor supplies to paint every day. But planning, operating and maintaining the boat while exploring the waters from Canada to the Bahamas left little opportunity to sit still long enough to paint. So, we’re currently house-sitting in Colorado Springs for six months while we figure out where we’ll settle next, but I know I need time and space to finally get those photos out of my computer and onto paper.
Lauren’s Awards:
I haven’t entered any art contests or shows. But I’m proud that I twice had paintings selected to be cover art on my ATC group. I currently have two encaustics at the Manitou Art Center’s Intemann Gallery 1st Amendment Show (along with several other PPWS members – be sure to take a look!)
Lauren’s favorite things to paint:
I used to struggle for botanical illustration style perfection, but I’ve let go and now prefer sketchy ink and wash. I discovered the Artist Trading Card (ATC) world on Facebook while I was visiting family in MD last summer and got utterly hooked on creating and trading small scale art with other artists around the world. Making 2.5” x 3.5” paintings for exchange brought back the fun of painting kindness rocks. Painting small scale has made me much more willing to experiment since the cost of failure is negligible. I use mostly Daniel Smith single-pigment colors on Arches cold-pressed paper accented with ink. My subjects bounce between capturing what I see while hiking or traveling and creating whimsical ideas from my imagination.
I use watercolor pencils, colored pencils, alcohol inks & markers on stone and paper. I also enjoy mixed media, paper engineering, paper-cutting and book-binding to create journals, altered books and cards.
Lauren’s favorite or most admired artists:
Growing up, some of my favorite artists were Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam and Van Gogh. Lately I’ve been learning from travel & nature journalists Liz Steele, John Muir Laws and Danny Hawk, and the more whimsical works of Steven B. Reddy and Danny Tietz.
Lauren’s goals for the next year:
My resolutions for 2025 include: Join the PPWS (check!), experiment and play every day with my existing art materials. And stretch goals include finding an art community near my next home, submit to a juried art show, and sell at least 2 paintings.
FAVORITE ARTSY QUOTE
“With age, art and life become one.”
– Georges Braque
Lauren’s Watercolor Tip:
I treasure my paints and papers… they’re expensive so I fear “wasting them,” but the only wasted media is the unused media. When paralysis hits, just put water on paper, drop in some watercolor and see what happens.
