Laura  
Laptsevtich

ABOUT THE ARTIST

 

​Laura is a Visual Artist, Scholar, and Art Educator based in East Central Minnesota. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Art Education with a Minor in Studio Art from the University of Wisconsin-Stout and her Master of Arts in Art History and Visual Culture from Lindenwood University. Laura is deeply engaged with Minnesota's community arts, teaching at art centers such as Lakeville Area Arts Center, Eden Prairie Art Center, White Bear Center for the Arts, and Rum River Art Center. In addition, Laura facilitated two community mural projects at the Lakeville Art Festival such as "The Sphere" (2024) and "Come Sail Away" (2022) drawing over 10,000 attendees both years. Laura serves as a visitor experience volunteer at the M Museum (The Minnesota Museum of American Art) and a Museum Guide at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.  As an artist, Laura has shown work in venues such as the Burl Gallery in St. Paul, White Bear Center for the Arts, Lakeville Area Arts Center, Hennepin Libraries, Furlong Gallery in Menomonie, and the Concourse Gallery in Minneapolis, among others.

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THE PROCESS

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As an artist, my paintings are about the intangibles. I am interested in the kinds of elusive qualities and circumstances that incite a visceral response. Qualities like color, light, and atmosphere; and circumstances such as moments, impressions, and memories. These elements cannot be touched, held, or named, but they are deeply understood. 

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As such, I am most interested in painting moments that are evocative of youth, moments that stir up feelings of optimism and curiosity. My paintings are a token—one that pictures the wistful and juvenile, one that marks the advent of change in an ever-changing world.

 

I am a painter for two reasons: color and the fluidity of paint. This nature facilitates a non-linear process, one that is intuitive and playful. I boldly apply marks and forms in the painting process. I shape my paintings in the fashion of sculpture—I frequently add and erase, applying layers using washes of acrylic, watercolor, or oil. I paint, undo, and paint over again. Regardless of material or surface, I follow this process.

 

My practice mimics that of my subject. It is playful, curious, imaginative, and vibrant. My paintings are an omen—one that embodies the essence of personhood, one that encapsulates the precariousness of youth.