Flowers may be a common subject for an artist, but there is nothing common about Laura Dick’s art. She paints mostly in oils on big canvases with fat brushes. Her work is modern and bold, demanding that you notice a flower’s simplicity and exquisite elegance. The details pop off the canvas with photographic clarity. Her experiments with scale and pattern are influenced by her professional background in graphic design.
“When I paint, I get lost in the shapes and I forget it’s a flower – it becomes just form. The petals become abstracts,” says the Toronto-based artist, who also owns a place near Wellington. “I love getting into the zone where I get lost in the details.”
Laura began taking classes at the Art Gallery of Ontario over twenty years ago and has been painting full time since 2018. She’s shown at the prestigious McMichael Gallery Autumn Art Sale and Toronto’s Artist Project. Last year, she was named Jurors’ Choice at Art in the County, where she met the owners of the Picton-based Maison Depoivre Gallery. She has since been offered a solo show this fall.
“Everywhere I travel, I try to visit a garden. I have to see the flower in its natural setting,” says Laura. “I have to experience the flower.” In those travels she has taken over 13,000 photos of flowers. Referencing these images brings a special intimacy to her paintings.
While she’s painted other subjects, Laura feels a unique connection to flowers. “I want my life and my art to be beautiful. I want to put a positive message out in the world,” she says. “And I never tire of painting flowers.” Instagram @lauradick_art
Story by:
Fiona Campbell
