About Me

 

Hi, I'm Laura, 

I've been making art ever since I was a child. When something reminds me of times gone by, I just want to bottle the joy this creates and share it with everyone. My work is all about reflection, nostalgia and play. These things are available to us everyday, if we take the time to indulge in them. 

 As a wee girl growing up in Ramelton, Co. Donegal, I was influenced deeply by the rich landscape, culture and rural traditions of the area. Ramelton itself is classified as a heritage town, and there are so many remnants of the past on display in terms of architecture and design, that I suppose it all seeped in.  

My love of art and design began at Girls Brigade, below, where I got my first hit of creativity by making papier-mâché masks and collaging in giant scrapbooks every Monday night. 

 

 

I have always had a huge affection for old-fashioned quality, mainly because of the craftsmanship I observed in my Dad’s carpentry, and the architecture of our Georgian-era home. I grew up above my family's grocery and hardware shop, which served as one of the centre-points in the town from 1907 to the mid 1980s.

My great-grandparents, pictured below (Annie, second from left; William, far right), sold everything from sliced ham and ‘Robin’ starch to ‘Wild Woodbine’ cigarettes. Although the shop closed its doors before I was born, I have long been fascinated by the remaining objects, advertisments, and living history of the shop.

 

 

This upbringing and love of creating, led me to pursue a career in art and I completed a degree in Fine Art Printmaking at the University of Ulster, Belfast and a Masters in Surface Pattern and Textile Design at the University of Central Lancashire, UK. 

My prints have been exhibited at venues across Ireland, most notably the Royal Ulster Academy exhibition in Belfast. Internationally, my pattern designs have been exhibited at the Indigo Textile Show in New York, where they were purchased by US retail giant Target for their homewares department.

Today, I work in the room adjacent to the old family shop. I have created a workshop consisting of studio and a shop for my designs. The workshop is open at select times throughout the year, and anytime during working hours by appointment. 

 

 

Thanks for reading! I would love to hear from you and answer any questions you have about me and my work. Send me an email below and I promise to respond to you personally.  

Laura xo