Meet Lauren Lewchuk | Artist and Muralist

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

Hi Lauren, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I definitely always wanted to be an artist and thought about it for so many years all while being afraid and oftentimes discouraged from even trying. As far as actually getting started there wasn’t much thought process involved aside from making the decision to actually just do something, and also not be super worried about being “ready”. So I started slow while I still had a part time job as a scenic artist and graphic designer for an event company. I started with art markets which was so much work but after doing even just one I definitely had more confidence to keep going. I started to get to know other local artists and learn more about the art scene in DFW and how to apply for gallery shows and so on. After getting into my first exhibition there was a ripple effect and more opportunities kept coming. After about a year of working as an artist part time I ended up losing my other job in 2020 so that’s what really caused me to take the leap into working as an artist full time and since then some great things started happening: getting into more art shows, painting murals, designing a fabric collection for Joann… all because I decided to apply for an art market even though I wasn’t sure if I was ready or had what it takes. There’s a lot of trial and error, a lot of networking and maintaining a presence online, lots of just making things up as I go but it’s definitely been worth it!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
• What should our readers know about your work?

I started out mostly drawing and painting but at this point I offer a wide variety of services that include fine art paintings, interior and exterior murals, and digital design/illustrations including patterns. I really like to play around with different ideas and constantly learn new things. This also has to do with my work background. I’ve been painting and doing graphic design for over a decade and lots of those skills have filtered into my current work. It’s been great to see how I can incorporate my colorful and detailed art style in so many different situations. So far I’ve been able to translate my style into large scale murals, and last year I designed an exclusive fabric collection for Joann. There are still so many different things I want to try out!

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 currently live in Arlington so I like to go hang out here pretty often. J Gilligan’s Pub is a favorite spot for food and drinks, along with iCafe for ramen, Gyros House, and India Grill. For coffee I like Inclusion, White Rhino, and Savor.

I also of course prefer artsy areas like Inspiration Alley in Ft Worth and while in Ft Worth I like to visit Leaves Tea and Book Shop and Docs Records. In Dallas I love to visit Trinity Groves and Deep Ellum to check out lots of great murals.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
• Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

There are several awesome women artists in particular who do great work and are also encouraging, positive and uplifting to other artists. Bree Smith, Deborah Hartigan Viestenz, and Katie Murray to name a few here in DFW. Whether it’s helping with navigating the art scene, networking, bringing in new people on really cool projects… these women really stick out in the art scene because they are always encouraging other artists and making it feel like a more welcome environment that can often feel isolating and cliquey and I think that can be hard to find in an industry that oftens feels very competitive.

Website: https://www.artbylewchuk.com/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-lewchuk-aa443594/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LEWCHUK/

Other: Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/laurenlewchuk/