Laura Kemler artist from Albion, New York
Artist’s Statement
Laura Kemler is a professional illustrator, fiber and mixed media artist as well as a published children’s book illustrator. With a primary focus on the human figure along with an Americana style, everyday moments captured from decades past are her inspiration. Fabric handbag designs, plant-based fiber dying and other needle artwork is a side focus of hers.
She has been teaching multi discipline art for over 35 years to children and adults, beginners as well as advanced students. She has taught at retreats, special groups, art schools, private and group lessons, including internationally to Year 1 students at a private school in Bradford, England. Her approach to learning art is not to be afraid to make mistakes, as that is your best teacher. Laura has also served as an exhibition judge and served on artist panels. She also believes that it is ok not to get wedged into a particular style of art, but to keep exploring new mediums. “Creativity if the fuel behind all great art!”
Laura has been a student of art since she was 6 years old, with self-taught interests that led to private lessons, a full scholarship to Genesee Community College for Commercial Art then onto The Art Institute of Pittsburgh to earn her AAS in Illustration and Graphic Design.
With several interesting additions to her portfolio, Laura’s stand outs would be, an album cover, billboards, several sketchbooks, commissioned portraits of people, two children’s books (available on Amazon) and new in 2023, her YouTube channel where she teaches her many styles of nostalgic themed art in gouache, ink, colored pencil, watercolors and tempera paints. Her art is really different & unique with multi-layers to her process. Her nostalgic art takes you for a walk down that path again to drum up feelings of nostalgia. Laura’s artwork re-tells stories that were lost to time. Her inspiration comes from old black & white photographs, which she translates into full color illustrations on watercolor paper, illustration board or in her many mixed media sketchbooks. Old commercial advertisements, mid century art styles, vintage and retro items such as old Cracker Jack boxes or an advert for K-mart, help her dial back to the simpler days. “I feel my art can be really relatable especially to those from my generation and the generations before. Our younger generations, can see the past through my eyes, and live those days through my artwork.”