Meet Laura Weber | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Weber and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, why did you pursue a creative career?
Well, I eventually had to. I spent a pretty good portion of my life ignoring my rather strong artistic impulses and trying to live a more traditional existence, but I found out pretty quickly that living inauthentically comes at a great cost to one’s emotional wellbeing. You see, I crave freedom and expression in my work. My brain hates monotony and requires creative assignments. I am constantly scanning for opportunities to make things colorful and uniquely my own. If I don’t have that in my daily life, I quite frankly self destruct and everyone around me gets caught in wake of it.

I liken it to the time I was bored in college and decided to pick up a blue heeler from the pound while living in a tiny apartment. He ate everything he could get his teeth on (including a chair and many pairs of my roommates designer shoes) and was a giant ball of anxious energy that barked the entire time I was gone. After some research, I learned what he was bred to do and what his instincts were. I had inadvertently trapped him in an environment he wasn’t made for! After making some changes to my living situation and taking up daily runs on the Trinity Trails, my city slicker cattle dog and I were able to enjoy an incredible, chew-free 15+ years together.

I guess you could say, I too, had become pretty destructive until I started living more closely aligned with my intended design. The 9-5 rat race ate at my soul. I was unhappy, stressed, sick and went to bed dreading waking up for work the next day. Living like that just wasn’t sustainable for me. Since making big changes to rearrange my life and priorities in a way that honors my true nature, I have achieved a peace and confidence that I had been craving for so long. And being able to make a career out of my passion has been a real gift in my life, but definitely one I have had to work hard for.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is an outward expression of my inner world – which is a mostly a colorful and happy place fueled by curiosity, experimentation and a desire to make things beautiful to my own eye. My paintings are a diary of my growth, overcoming hardship and the connections I make. I love to leave behind traces of my mistakes – I even highlight them at times – to showcase the elbow grease it took to achieve the final result. I like to describe my work as pretty AND gritty.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love to showcase the rich history of my city to out of towners when I can. But I am also now a sober, old goat who likes staying home, saving money and sitting on the couch in pajamas by 6pm, so this dream day will be very conceptual and based on energy I had in my 20’s…

I like to start my days early, so perhaps a yoga class at Indigo Yoga or a stroll down the Trinity Trails followed by a local breakfast at Righteous Foods or Lucille’s. Go home, shower, then then hit the town with shopping at all of the amazing boutiques on Camp Bowie (my new fave is Elle Maxine!). We would then hit up The Modern for lunch and a stroll through their current exhibit. I also think a day of shopping/eating in the Near Southside and Aledo/Willow Park are good options. I love nights on a porch or around a campfire, but for a good going out night, I say hit the 4PM cattle drive in the Stockyards, followed by a visit to the bar at Booger Reds where you can sit on saddles and infused tequila. When your guest is good and drunk, take a beer to go and walk them down to ML Leddy’s where you will convince them to purchase and wear an unnecessary amount of cowboy gear. Then take them to Billy Bobs and make them take a picture on the bull and dance with a stranger on the dance floor. If you still have energy after that (which I did once upon a time), take an uber over to Ol’ South for a late night German pancake.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
To start, I would have to thank every single person who has ever bought or commissioned a painting from me or attended one of my abstract painting workshops. It takes a lot of guts to put your creations out into the world and to share your passion in front of a group of people and those precious souls who have actually exchanged their hard-earned money for my art or instruction are what have made and continue to make this dream of mine a reality.

I also have to thank my husband for being my number one fan and unpaid employee. He has catered and bartended workshops, been security as I painted murals in sketchy parts of town, built things that previously only existed in my head and so much more. He always believes in me more than I do, and I am so lucky to have him by my side.

I would also like to thank all of the organizations and businesses that actively support and promote local artists – ones like Near Southside Inc., Hudgins Companies, Uptown Dallas Inc. and Campfire First Texas, just to name a few who have greatly impacted my career.

Website: https://www.lauraweberart.com

Instagram: @lauraweber_art

Facebook: https://facebook.com/artbylauraweber

Image Credits
Kassie Moore Photography