Interview with artist Laura Welshans
Laura Welshans is a Little Rock artist whose abstract florals and landscapes are inspired by the harmony of form she sees in the natural world. Her minimalist style emphasizes light, shadow and shape to celebrate what she senses is the inherent beauty and interconnectedness of nature’s shapes and colors. More of Laura’s work can be found at Art Group Gallery in Little Rock and at her website laurawelshans.com.
AAS: Laura, are you originally from Little Rock?
LW: I was born in East St. Louis, Illinois and grew up in Cahokia, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. My dad worked for the railroad, and when he was transferred back to Arkansas, where he was born, we moved to his hometown of Stuttgart, also known as The Rice and Duck Capital of the World.
I graduated from Stuttgart High School, then attended University of Central Arkansas before earning a BBA in Marketing from University of Arkansas Little Rock. After college, I moved back to the St. Louis area for a job, which, funny enough, eventually brought me right back to Arkansas. I’ve been in Little Rock ever since.
AAS: Was art something you always did as a kid?
LW: I was always a creative kid. My first “canvases” were walls and the inside of closet doors, usually marked with my name, so there was no mystery about who the culprit was. To channel my creativity in a less destructive way, my mom would draw swirling, intersecting lines on paper, creating shapes for me to fill in with crayons and markers. Looking back, my Mexican Flores series reminds me of those early designs.
As I got older, creativity showed up in different ways. My parents gave me a small flower garden, where I planted cacti and little purple puff flowers. That experience planted the seed, literally and figuratively, for my love of gardens. Now, I have a much larger backyard garden that I’ve cultivated for 20 years. It continues to inspire my work, from the shifting colors of the seasons to the strong shapes of the hardscape in winter.
In junior high, I took an art class and even designed part of a mural for our cafeteria wall. But I didn’t actively pursue art, mostly because there was a clarinet in the family, and my parents thought music was the more practical path.
How I began painting was that years later, after a ski accident left me needing a knee replacement, I found my way back to art. Knowing I’d be off my feet for a long recovery, I decided to try painting. A friend had invited me to a wine-and-paint night, and I loved it. It felt like something I could truly immerse myself in.
During my recovery, I took a class at the Museum School with Emily Wood to learn the fundamentals, and later, I studied with Dan Thornhill, who became my mentor. He championed my work, and over time, we even exhibited together.
After a few years of painting just for fun, Holly Tilley invited me to a plein air workshop in Provence, France. It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I nervously said yes. My mother-in-law joined me, and together, we painted our way through that beautiful region. That trip changed everything. It became the catalyst for me to pursue painting as a profession. I left my job at Coca-Cola and officially started painting full time. Since then, I’ve hustled, participating in art shows, fairs, and even teaching kids art at Creatorfest Art Camp at Christ Little Rock a couple summers.
Looking back, I can see the thread of creativity running through my life, from those childhood doodles to the gardens I’ve cultivated and to the abstract paintings I create today.
AAS: Why abstraction?
LW: Abstraction has always intrigued me, but it wasn’t until I visited France that I truly found my direction. At an art exhibit at Hôtel de Caumont in Aix-en-Provence, I encountered the work of Nicolas de Staël. Walking into that space, his paintings took my breath away. I turned to my friend and said, “This is it.” His ability to distill a subject into simple, powerful shapes resonated deeply with me, helping me uncover the style I had been struggling to find.
Abstraction allows me to simplify what I see, focusing on what feels most essential. I love how it invites interpretation—collectors often tell me they see something completely different than what I intended. To me, that’s the mark of a successful abstraction: giving the viewer the freedom to engage their own imagination and make the piece their own.
AAS: Negative space is an important element in your work. Why is that?
LW: Negative space gives my subjects breathing room. I struggle with anxiety, and I get overwhelmed at times, and I see the world as full of distractions, details that aren’t always necessary to convey a message. In a landscape, I don’t need to include every blade of grass or the entire sky for you to understand what it is. The essence remains, even with what’s left out. I focus on the most important shapes, the silhouette, letting the viewer’s mind fill in the rest. This simplicity creates clarity, both in my work and in how I experience the world.
AAS: Tell me about Flores Indigo. Its negative space creates a wonderful excitement – almost vibrational.
Flores Indigo, 36” x 36”, acrylic and oil on canvas
LW: Flores Indigo is part of my Mexican Floral series, a collection inspired by an extended trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. With few responsibilities during those three weeks, I painted non-stop, fully immersed in my surroundings. But I missed my cats, who were back home with my husband. To keep me connected, he sent me daily photos of them, which led to a playful experiment, blind contour drawings based on their curled-up shapes. As I sketched, I noticed something unexpected: flowers emerging from their forms.
That realization sparked the series. I continued creating these floral abstractions, pulling colors from my daily walks, hues from blooming flowers, the vibrant facades of neighborhood homes, and the deep blues of the ocean.
Flores Indigo was inspired by the trumpet-shaped flowers that draped over walls in Mexico. The forms in the painting are blind contour drawings of my cats sleeping in my home studio while I worked. What makes this piece special is how differently it’s interpreted. I see flowers swaying in the wind, my husband sees tunnels inviting exploration, and my son imagines the blue shapes as spaceship eyes surveying the land—one even searching for a crash-landed companion at the bottom.
This collection brings me joy because it weaves together so many things I love—my cats, Mexico, flowers, and the memories of travel. The negative space plays a key role, stripping away unnecessary details like vines and leaves, leaving only what truly matters.
For me, painting is a way to celebrate the beauty of the Earth, honoring the places I’ve been, the landscapes I’ve explored, and the experiences that have left a lasting impression.
AAS: Do you gain most of your inspiration from your travels?
LW: Travel plays a huge role in my inspiration. Though, really, anywhere I go, I find myself drawn to shapes that catch my eye. But it wasn’t until I traveled west to Utah, Colorado, and Arizona that I truly became captivated by the raw beauty of natural erosion. Seeing the mountains, rock formations, and sculpted landscapes shaped by wind, sun, and water changed the way I viewed the world.
Visiting places like Canyonlands, Arches National Park, Monument Valley, and the Grand Canyon was a childhood dream. Growing up in the middle of the U.S., these landscapes had always felt almost mythical, like something out of a painting. But once I was there, I was mesmerized. The way rocks stacked and teetered on the edge, the natural windows and arches carved over time. It all amazed me. Even now, I revisit photos from those trips to inspire the shapes in my paintings. I also pull from hiking trails, winding creeks, and the silhouettes of mountain ranges. Natural bridges of fallen tree trunks across water or a jagged cliffside can become the foundation of an abstracted composition.
But what fascinates me most is how these same forms appear all over the world. In Ireland, I saw similar shapes in the Cliffs of Moher, the ancient stones of the Carrowmore Circles, and the weathered ruins of castles. No matter where I go, I find echoes of these sculptural, time-worn shapes in nature. For me, painting is a way to celebrate the beauty of the Earth, honoring the places I’ve been, the landscapes I’ve explored, and the experiences that have left a lasting impression.
AAS: I am a big fan of your landscape-inspired abstracts and your use of color blocks and shapes. Land Before Sea, has a jigsaw puzzle feel, which is how land and sea interact, really.
Land Before Sea, 36” x 24”, acrylic and charcoal on canvas
LW: It’s funny, Land Before Sea was inspired by a trip to Destin, Florida, but not just the ocean itself. It reflects everything you have to navigate before finally reaching the water. You start in the condo, take the elevator down, weave through the parking garage, cross the pool deck, walk the wooden plank access, and only then do you step onto the sand and reach the emerald waves.
This painting explores the relationship between human-made structures and nature. The way we build around landscapes to reach them. The jigsaw-like composition mirrors that experience, with each section representing a piece of the journey.
It’s one of my favorite pieces. The softness of the colors reminds me of the way the wind moves across the sand, carrying warmth and salt in the air. It captures that anticipation and transition, from structured pathways to the openness of the sea.
AAS: South Willow Creek Trail has an altogether different feel. Tell me about it and what do you think ‘possesses’ you when you begin to put down on canvas an abstract landscape.
South Willow Creek Trail, 48” x 36”, acrylic, oil and charcoal on canvas
LW: South Willow Creek Trail marked a shift in my work. A transition into the more neutral color palette that I naturally gravitate toward. It was inspired by a hike on the South Willow Creek Trail in Silverthorne, Colorado, a long trek with plenty of water crossings and elevation changes. But the real moment of inspiration? A tumble I took along the way.
I had been mesmerized by the rushing creek, completely taken in by the sound of the water, a soothing, meditative presence. But in my distraction, I tripped over a tree root and went down hard, landing just inches from the icy water, right before a natural tree bridge over the creek. That fall stuck with me, not just physically but emotionally, and it translated into this piece.
The elongated shapes reflect the movement of the water, while the chunkier, more deliberate forms suggest the solid, grounding presence of the rocks and fallen trees. Compared to some of my other paintings, this one feels more sparse, with outlined shapes hinting at space and structure. The palette of cool blues, deep shadows, and soft neutrals has since become a defining element in much of my recent work.
When I begin an abstract landscape, I don’t just think about the physical environment. I think about the emotions tied to the experience. Sometimes it’s the serenity of a place, other times it’s the unpredictability of nature, like that unexpected fall. The process is intuitive, almost like memory-mapping the feeling of being in the landscape rather than replicating it exactly. That’s what possesses me. The challenge of distilling those fleeting, sensory moments into something lasting on canvas.
AAS: You’ve also done somewhat more representational still life pieces. In those you still employ negative space – but with color. Tell me about Fleur 18, which was accepted into the 61st Delta Exhibition.
Fleur 18, 36” x 24”, oil on canvas, 61st Delta Exhibition
LW: Fleur 18 was created specifically for the 61st Delta Exhibition, and with it, I wanted to push my use of color and texture to another level.
The French Floral series is intentionally minimal, focusing on a simple vase of flowers, stripped of excess detail. The color choices are often inspired by seasonal blooms or a particular flower that catches my attention, but I never paint a specific type of flower. I like leaving that interpretation up to the viewer.
This particular piece went through multiple iterations. I scraped the flowers down to the canvas about eight times before I felt they were right, though the background always remained. The background itself is a fusion of elements, wall color, curtains, sunlight streaming through a window, an abstracted suggestion of the setting rather than a literal depiction. I intentionally left out the table, allowing the vase and flowers to stand out without grounding them in a defined space.
The French Floral pieces are always painted in oils mixed with powdered marble, which gives the flowers a thick, sculptural quality. Almost like icing a cake. I also use a fast-drying medium to help with drying time, given the thickness of the paint. Sometimes, I add extra powdered marble to create subtle cracks as it dries, giving the piece an aged, timeworn feel. I don’t know why, but I love that effect. It adds another layer of depth and history to the painting.
AAS: Laura, you have exhibited your work extensively in Arkansas but also all over the US and I know that at the time this interview is published you will be in Los Angeles. This must be thrilling and exhausting. Tell about the kinds of reactions your work is getting.
LW: Over the past eight years, I’ve worked to get my art out into the world, starting locally in Arkansas. My first exhibitions were at Community Bakery, the Argenta Library, ACANSA Gallery and the ASU Mountain Home Art Gallery. From there, I sought out group exhibitions and juried shows, always looking for new ways to share my work. Along the way, I’ve been honored with First Place in Abstract (twice) and Third Place in Abstract in juried competitions. My paintings have been featured multiple times on Saatchi Art Online, and collectors from across the U.S. and Canada have purchased my work. One of the most exciting moments was when a collector from Brunei, who, as it turns out, is a princess, purchased a French Floral painting. That was surreal!
Taking a leap, I started exhibiting at The Other Art Fair in Dallas and then in Chicago, where collectors really responded to my style. That enthusiasm encouraged me to apply to The Other Art Fair in Los Angeles, where I’m currently showing my newest collection, Terrain in Form, a series of abstracted landscapes. After LA, I’ll be heading back to Chicago and Dallas for more exhibitions.
The response to my work has been incredibly humbling. I’m so grateful to my collectors who connect with my pieces and the stories behind them. It’s thrilling to see my art resonate with people from all different places.
I recently joined Art Group Gallery in Little Rock, an incredible community of artists who support one another, and I want to thank them for welcoming me into their space. Pieces from the Mexican Flores collection are currently featured at Cobblestone & Vine in Little Rock. A major honor this year is having my abstracted landscapes featured in the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Museum Store during the Minimalism and Diego Rivera exhibitions.
I wouldn’t be here without the people who have encouraged me along the way. I’m endlessly grateful to my husband and son, who have always believed in me, and to my mother, who nurtured the artist inside me. I know she and my father are watching over me, cheering me on. A huge thank you to Meikel Church for giving me my first show, Emily Wood for teaching me the fundamentals of painting, and Dan Thornhill for pushing me to grow as an artist. And of course, Holly Tilley, for believing in me enough to take me to France to paint in Provence. Thank you to all my collectors for your support. Your love for my work keeps me creating.
And finally a heartfelt thank you to my sister, Anne, who tirelessly follows me to every out-of-town show to help make it all happen. Without her, I’m not sure any of it would. 2025 is my year to take things to the next level, and I’m ready for it!
