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, nautical and seashore scenes, birds and other wildlife, and other related outdoor and nature themes.
Laura’s style of painting is perhaps best described as impressionism leaning toward realism. She strives to use enough detail to give life and realism to her subjects, while still incorporating a loose style of watercolor that allows the paint to mix and flow on the paper. 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 compelled to do. I love the feeling that I get from the process of turning a piece of thirsty white watercolor paper into a completed painting with depth and realism and beautiful color."
As a nationally published watercolor artist, Laura's paintings have been featured across the country both online and in print. She also has won numerous awards at art shows in the Southeastern United States for her artwork.
A little background:
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 had 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 with the "DIY" 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.
Laura currently lives on High Rock Lake in central North Carolina with her husband of 17 years, teenaged son, two cats, and a few pet chickens. When she is not painting or showing her work, she also enjoys a variety of hobbies, including sailing, reading, sewing, swimming, hiking, and arts and crafts of all kinds.
Laura is a member of the American Watercolor Society, the Watercolor Society of North Carolina, and the Southern Watercolor Society.
AWARDS
Honorable Mention, Festival in the Park, Charlotte, NC September 2012
Honorable Mention, Art in the Park, Blowing Rock, NC, September 2012
Second Place Award, Summer Award Show Weekend in the Mountains, Valle Crucis, NC, July 2012
Art Achievement Award, Art on the Neuse, Oriental, NC, June 2011
Judges Choice Award, Orange Street Arts Festival, Wilmington, NC, May 2011
Judges Choice Award , for my original watercolor, “Neuse Sunset”, Festival in the Park, Artist’s Walk, Charlotte, NC, September 2010
Judges Choice Award, Orange Street Arts Festival, Wilmington, NC, May 2010
NEWS ARTICLES AND TELEVISION APPEARANCES
September 2012- The Blowing Rock News
