We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Laurie McNeel-Windeknecht a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Laurie , appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
In 2017, I was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer (Triple Negative Breast Cancer) and found to have a rare gene (BRAC2) which increases cancer risk. This particular form of breast cancer only accounts for approximately 10-15% of all breast cancers and the survival rate is very low. I was completely taken by surprise, as I had never spent any time in a hospital or had any health conditions.
I was faced with several immediate and significant surgeries along with prolonged cancer treatments. I spent six months taking weekly aggressive chemotherapy, 6 weeks of daily radiation treatments, and several more months of clinical trials. These left me weak and physically exhausted.
During all of this, I had to navigate the possibility that I would to have to leave a career that I loved, working with victims of crime.
I found that I had a choice. A choice to either not do anything and die, or face the cancer and do what I needed to do to survive. I had to chose life. Resiliency came from understanding that I needed to go through tough things in order to survive. If I gave up, it was over.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
*(last name pronounced “When-da-Connect”) I am a native desert dweller. I was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada and moved to the Hi-Desert five years ago. As a full-time resident of the Joshua Tree area, I am able to enjoy the beauty of the desert sunsets and the silence of the dark, starlit skies-totally opposite of the brightly lit night skies of Vegas.
MOJAVE STUDIO is the brand name of my art which is inspired by the colorful culture and rugged beauty of the Mojave Desert. (IG: @mojavestudio Website: mojaveartstudio.com)
I work mainly on larger scale canvas and love to use bright colors or desert palettes. I describe my work as layer upon layer of texture, acrylic paint, Oil Stick, Paper Ephemera, Rescued Book Pages, Hidden Poetry, Bursts of Color, and Desert Inspiration!
Creating art has been a part of my life since I was a child but had taken a back seat to my career. After cancer, I found that in order to physically & emotionally heal, I needed to practice art again. Throughout this journey, I found that my figurative work was becoming more abstract. By allowing myself the freedom of painting layer upon layer of shape and color, it opened up a whole new form of expression. I feel that once I have expressed myself in one painting, it is done and time to move on to the next. It’s just me on a canvas, at that moment, at that time. All of my works are one-of-a-kind originals and are not reproduced through print or other mediums.
Currently, I am working on a series of paintings for the upcoming HWY62 Open Studio Art Tours which will be happening in October. NBC4 Los Angeles recently did a write up on the event:https://www.nbclosangeles.com/worth-the-trip/free-joshua-tree-high-desert-art-studio-tours-live-music/3499548/
Also, I have all of the information listed on my website, mojaveartstudio.com.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I don’t believe that one has to go to art school or university to become an artist. Some of the best artists are self-taught. That said, I do feel that it is very important to understand composition and how to use mediums properly. Personally, I do have training in both classical oil and acrylic painting techniques, but I feel that this training only takes an artist so far.
I remember struggling to “find my voice”. I would ask other artists how they found their own style continually. No one could really give me a good answer. If anyone ever asks me, I tell them, “It’s not about asking, its about doing”. You’ve got to make art on a regular basis. Eventually, your own style develops. It’s a life-long journey of discovering new techniques that make you excited to get back into your studio.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Over the past several years that I have been focusing on my artwork, I have had the joy of being contacted by people who have wanted to purchased my pieces. I have previously never looked for gallery representation, but am considering looking for a gallery to collaborate with.
I have many collectors from out of state (Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado) and within California (Palm Desert, Laguna Beach, San Diego, Carmel). I would like to look into the possibly of a gallery being interested in representing my work.
If they would like to collaborate, they can best connect with me through email at lauriewindeknecht@gmail.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mojaveartstudio.com
- Instagram: @mojavestudio
- Other: lauriewindeknecht@gmail.com
Image Credits
Tom Windeknecht Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
