Nottingham Contemporary

Hi Lauren! Can you introduce yourself and describe your work?

Hi, I’m Lauren, an artist, illustrator, and poet living and working by the sea in Poole, Dorset. I create hand-drawn work that’s largely inspired by my mindful appreciation of local nature. My creative practice has a few different touchpoints, for example, I work on client commissions whilst also running my own home and gift brand and simultaneously writing poetry! Throughout all my projects, the energy and style of my work is consistent, and I’m interested in sharing kindness, reassurance, and comfort with my audiences.

Do you have a memory of your first creative endeavours? When did you first discover your love and intuition for drawing?

I was brought up in a very creative household so I was often encouraged to paint and draw. Artistry was always encouraged in me at a young age, and I think this supported the natural inclination of my leaning towards a creative path. I’m really grateful for this open-mindedness and encouragement of my art that has a been consistent support through my life and has bolstered my unshakeable dedication to making and creating!

You live and work in Poole, Dorset. How does the coastal landscape inform and shape your work?

It would be really hard to live in this part of the country and not be moved to creativity by the natural landscape. There is both dramatic and subtle beauty to the environments here. We’re currently in my favourite month, May, where everything shoot into aliveness and the scenery is in such lush abundance. There are wonderful coastal paths, woodland trails, sea dipping, fossil seeking…not to mention the incredible array of bird species that are attracted here. I love to draw from the landscapes and species here, but moreover, I think I’m moved to creativity by the sheer beauty of the place.

What’s particularly striking about your homewares and stationery is your distinctive black and white aesthetic. I really LOVE it! Was this a conscious decision to limit the colour palette or is it something that came intuitively in your creative process?

I have a history in printmaking creating wood and lino prints. I think my work now is a result of this practice and my love for printmaking aesthetics. When I draw now, I often start with a solid black base colour and ‘carve’ my cream-coloured lines into it. To me, the limited palette gives me some rules to work within, as well as a recognisable style which feels really valuable.

Hiking with your sketchbook is something you’ve mindfully committed more time too. How do impromptu bursts of creativity in the outdoors impact your practice?

To me, carrying a sketchbook gives an opportunity for two things. One, a moment for mindfulness with nature. When I stop to draw a tree, a leaf, a stone, a vista, I’m focused on that one element. It attunes me to what is right there, in the present moment. Secondly, drawing in my sketchbook is ‘drawing for joy only’! It can be free and loose, without expectation or a client - it is for my own enjoyment only.

I was thrilled to see your work transition into tattoo artistry. How did the opportunity arise to explore and train as a tattoo artist?

I’ve always been interested in the tattooing world and have obtained quite the collection myself over the years. My work and designs translate well to tattooing and I will often have people at markets asking if I also offer tattooing. This felt like a bit of a prompt from the universe, and I asked a friend and established tattoo artist if they would be interested in mentoring me, which they enthusiastically agreed too! I’ve now been doing a little tattooing alongside my main illustration practice for a couple of years. It’s a really wonderful way to meet new people and connect. I very much enjoy holding space for my customers and offering them a gentle and kind environment for a new tattoo!

Your practice also involves working on large scale canvas, such as sculptures, murals and buildings. What are the benefits and challenges of working on such different scales and canvas?

I love receiving a mural commission! It’s a great way to step away from the desk and screens. It’s also brilliant for bringing some movement to the body with all the reaching, crouching and stretching it involves! It is fun to see the impact one of my designs can have on a space, especially at a large scale. It can be a challenge when, unlike when I’m drawing digitally at my computer, there is no ‘undo’ button so you can’t be making big adjustments during the mural - there is a lot of planning involved to create a successful piece.

Alongside your freelance illustration work, you offer creative mentoring. What inspired you to branch out into nurturing and supporting other creatives?

In my late 20’s I spent a period working in a communications, storytelling and marketing role for a global brand. I picked up lots of skills in messaging and running campaigns that have been really beneficial to how I communicate my work as an artist. From experience I know that this part of running a freelance creative business is not always taught in traditional learning environments and I know I can offer support in this area. I also have a good commercial eye for spotting opportunities and find it refreshing to look through the lens of someone else's work for a change! I truly believe that art is needed and necessary in our increasingly testing and chaotic world, so if I can offer a step up or platform for a fellow artist, I’m in.

Reflecting on the last year of business and being a freelance artist, do you have a particular focus, or creative goal you wish to nurture in the coming months and year ahead?

My focus is to make more focus! I notice that I get excited about all the different avenues I can explore and work I can make, and at the same time, there is only one of me, so I need to tighten up my areas of focus and not try and do ‘everything’ (I find this very difficult!). I’m bringing more focus to my greeting card brand this year and developing new designs to broaden my offering in this area. I absolutely love this realm of my work and feel that cards have this wonderful spirit of human connectivity and give us an opportunity to slow down and handwrite a note to our most loved people. It also means I get to connect with brilliant spaces and places such as yourselves, please know that I am so deeply appreciative of your support by stocking my designs in your shop.

If we headed to Dorset and your neck of the woods which 3 small businesses or creatives, should we check out?

What a great question! This is tricky to whittle down as there are just so many…

1. Folde - A truly wonderful and thoughtfully curated bookshop in Shaftesbury at the top of the iconic Gold Hill. Folde specialise in nature-writing, so I am in heaven when I go there.
2. Bad Hand Coffee - You’ll find that most indie coffee shops around the Bournemouth area grind Bad Hand beans, it’s because they are the tastiest and it is run by top-tier human beings who are all about cultivating connection and community.
3. Talking of community spirit…Pier journal is a local free publication that is really doing an amazing job of giving platform to local small businesses and creatives in a meaningful way.

Shop Lauren's products in store at Shop Contemporary.

You can find out more about Lauren’s practice, commissions and homewares at laurenmarina.com

Interview by retail buyer Lucy Martin