Laura Ritchie is a qualified graphic designer who owned a luxury wedding stationery business in Surrey for many years before she chose to pursue a career in art. Over the past 18 years, Laura dabbled in art with precious little time divided between her business and family commitments. She tried various mediums but never had the time to truly devote to her passion.
The notorious Lockdowns of 2020 temporarily shut down Laura’s business and gave her a unique opportunity to explore her dream of painting full time. Laura painted from reference and still life’s and embarked on a journey along with other artists stuck at home, making use of Instagram as a tool to unite them in isolation. Instagram became the platform where Laura found her voice through art and where she found plein air painting. Laura soon joined the Surrey Hills Plein Air Painters and has never looked back.
‘Painting Plein air allows me to see light, colour and shadow that cannot be captured in a photograph. Painting on location is very challenging however it has taught me to paint quickly in a more impressionistic style and I have found that capturing the essence is sometimes more beautiful than the detail.'
Along with painting from life, Laura also paints from photographs. Laura is a story teller, and she loves painting people and dogs into her landscapes. Life drawing is a regular activity too which has allowed her to really study the posture and stance of individuals so that once painted in her landscape they become recognisable to their loved ones.