Laura D. Poss is a watercolor artist with a passion for the outdoors. Based in Central North Carolina, she is inspired by the diverse landscapes of the Southeastern United States. The focus of her work explores a wide range of outdoor and nature scenery, including landscapes of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains,  farmsteads and the rural countryside near her home, nautical and seashore scenes, birds and other wildlife, and other related outdoor and nature themes. Laura also sometimes enjoys painting still life, especially flowers and kitchen related subjects.

Laura’s style of painting is perhaps best described as impressionism leaning toward realism. She strives to use enough detail to communicate the feeling of the scene, without taking away the viewer’s ability to use their imagination to interact with the art. She focuses heavily on texture in her work, and likes to paint with many layers of watercolor to build depth and interest. As a transparent medium, she feels that watercolor’s greatest strength is it’s ability to show multiple layers of washes and brushstrokes simultaneously.

When asked why she creates her art, Laura says, “It is what I am drawn to do. Creation of something beautiful makes me feel good, and when someone looks at my art and it makes them feel good, that makes me feel good too. I am inspired by nature, by sunshine, by the changing seasons, by the sights, smells and textures of nature. Really, my work reflects how a feel about the world- Beauty is everywhere. Go outside.”

As a nationally published watercolor artist, Laura's paintings have been featured across the country both online and in print. She also has won several awards at art shows in the Southeastern United States for her artwork.

Laura first decided to try painting with watercolors in 2005, while living in the coastal area of North Carolina. From the time she was a small child she intensely enjoyed many types of art and crafts, including drawing, acrylic painting, and sewing, but hadn’t since kindergarten considered it as a serious career. She decided to try watercolors after being inspired by the artwork of regional artists depicting the ships and harbors in the area where she lived. She purchased some basic supplies, borrowed a few books on watercolor technique from the public library, and set to work. Almost immediately, she was devoted to watercolor. Others could see the promise of her work, too, and began to ask to purchase her paintings.  After just a few years, Laura decided to pursue her artwork full time. Since that time she has also expanded her work to include making limited edition giclée prints of her work. And in the “I can do it” spirit that she and her husband, John, have always shared, the pair make all of the products that they sell, and even do their own matting and framing of the artwork.