About
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Artist Statement
With storytelling at her core, Laurel Grace creates visually striking work that invites connection through humor, emotion, and nostalgia. Her concepts are highly developed and often rooted in personal experience, drawing from vivid memories to construct imagery that resonates on a universal level. What sets her work apart is the distinctive pairing of bold ideas, vibrant color palettes, and meticulous execution.
A classically trained illustrator, Laurel finds her greatest joy working with oil paints and the precision of tiny brushes, though she also embraces experimentation with gouache and the intricate process of linoleum block printmaking. Her perfectionism—both a strength and a challenge—drives her to elevate each piece, ensuring every detail contributes meaningfully to the narrative.
Whether evoking a smile or stirring reflection, Laurel’s work aims to leave a lasting impression, connecting deeply with viewers through carefully crafted visual stories.
Artist Bio
Laurel Grace is a Southern California-based artist known for her vibrant imagery and strong sense of storytelling. She completed high school art programs at CalArts, Rhode Island School of Design, and Otis Parsons before earning her BFA in Illustration from ArtCenter College of Design. Her creative journey has evolved through many forms, from editorial illustration to large-scale murals and fine art exhibitions.
“As a kid, I was exposed to beautifully illustrated storybooks and had art supplies aplenty,” Laurel recalls about the origins of her artistic passion. Literature was where she thrived most in traditional education, drawn to reading and writing from an early age. Her art studies spanned multiple creative disciplines, but illustration became her focus—it allowed her to merge her love of image-making with writing and conceptual storytelling.
Her portfolio includes editorial illustrations featured on covers and within periodicals throughout the Pacific Northwest and Southwest. Laurel’s mural work spans private residences and commercial spaces—including a commission for actress Michelle Pfeiffer—and includes a notable 6’x14’ mural in the neonatal ICU at Evergreen Hospital in the Seattle area. She has also created custom pieces for several children’s hospitals, including Rady, San Jose, and Orange County.
When asked about the inspiration behind her current series of B-movie–style artwork, Laurel says, “Beyond the obvious nod to the genre of B-movie poster art, I credit a childhood spent gazing at the grocery store checkout tabloids like Weekly World News, where any given week an alien baby was born or a UFO kidnapped someone’s uncle. I love coming up with concepts that make people stop, read, and laugh.”
Laurel’s recent exhibitions include shows at ShockBoxx Project in Huntington Beach, Covet Gallery in South Oceanside, and The Makery in Los Angeles. She began exhibiting at the Sawdust Art Festival in 2005.
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