We were lucky to catch up with Laurie Maves Guglielmi recently and have shared our conversation below.
Laurie Maves, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
Keeping my creativity alive, over the past 5 decades, has had its ups and downs for sure. I’ve often felt like I was in a rut, as maybe I was painting the same themes and images over and over again. But with time and age, I’ve realized that – for me – my artwork and its themes mirror my life. And often times I’ve had to continue making the same images over and over until they’re purged from my system. It’s almost as if I wake up one day and suddenly I no longer have the need to paint what I have been painting for the past few months or years even, whether it be circles, or poppies, or fanciful figures, or portraits with long necks (like Modigliani used to do). And if I cannot seem to purge the imagery and it feels like it’s making me crazy, then I schedule a field trip for myself to expose myself to something I’ve never seen before. It could be as simple as going to the library or book store and looking at the art book section, or going to the nearest art gallery or museum or even taking a walk in nature. There’s always something new to learn about color, mark making and composition, if I keep my eyes and ears open to what’s right in front of me. And seeing something new or in a new way is often enough to keep my creativity moving and flowing, almost like breathing.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Since 2020, the majority of my time has been spent collaborating with interior designers and decorators in the gulf coast region of Florida. I enjoy the physical challenge of working on sizeable commissions, often somewhere between 6’x 8’ to 8’x10’ paintings. Using my whole body can sometimes be exhausting, but I believe the works have a special authenticity when created in this fashion. The larger I can paint, the more spontaneous, loose and real the images seem to be. And even when I go to galleries or museums to view paintings, my favorite ones are the biggest ones. Working that large gives me a sense or feeling of “being in the painting,” like almost it’s possible to physically exist in the spaces I paint. There’s just something so rewarding about the process, I just love it so much. And when I can use this creativity to make something custom for a client – not only using their preferred color palettes, but also bringing in their own personal themes and metaphors into the artwork, I feel I’m truly living my purpose.
Prior to 2020, I was facilitating art expressive classes and workshops, in addition to making my own work. I created what I termed my “Be Free” painting sessions where art making and art therapy had a sort of intersection. I have missed leading these “classes,” so I am currently working with another local artist to see if and where we might host these classes once again, or something like it. The community here in Sarasota, Florida, has many art galleries and offers many art classes, but I believe there’s a place for the special sessions that I facilitate and it’s different from what is offered currently.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The first quality or skill for any young artist is to just make work and make a LOAD of it. Live your work, breathe your work and dream about your work. The more hours you spend doing your craft, the more you improve your skill sets. A lot of times it’s not talent, it’s the TIME you are willing to put into it. So if you like painting, then get some materials and get to work. Who cares if it’s good or bad, just make the work. Over time you will develop your own style, even if you’re mimicking someone or something else, your own style will eventually come through.
Second, I would recommend young artists do research. Study art history, learn about the different movements and what made them important for the time. The more you know about how art has evolved over time, the more you’ll understand your own artwork and how you do or don’t fit in into current culture. (And again who cares if you do or don’t fit to what others around you might be doing. There’s a niche for every artist, you just have to find yours.)
Third, find some time to sit and learn to meditate. Every day. Your mind will grow and expand and that can help you “get out of your head” when you’re creating. It will help you find a natural flow, and work always seems more authentic when it comes from a non edited less contrived space.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
As a painter and artist, I’m always looking to collaborate with interior designers and decorators. I love it when they send me a specific color palette and size and tell me to get painting. It’s a wonderful way for me to get a work going. I will often record video Timelapses of my process and share with the designers and clients so they can see how the painting evolves. And if they want to add any input, like say, “this one needs more raw umber, or this one needs more Tiffany blue” it helps me get to a resolution for the painting – and it truly feels like a team effort. I enjoy working in this way.
As and Art Therapist, I’m always looking to collaborate with motivational speakers or those that lead self help or self improvement meetings, workshops and/or conferences. By providing creative outlets and art as therapy sessions either 1:1 or in large groups, I can offer additional means of self expression and self exploration for the clients or attendees. And no one has to have any art making history. If you can make marks you can make images, and when others learn that or experience the childlike joy of creating, it can be a most beneficial addition to anyone in any situation.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://LaurieMavesArt.com
- Instagram: @lauriemavesart
- Facebook: Laurie Guglielmi
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