Founder of Studio 37 Prints, Lauren Evans, is a relief printmaker who uses linoleum and occasionally watercolour to create her work. While she primarily focuses on creating larger pieces of art, Lauren also enjoys making functional pieces such as cards and home décor.
Lauren studied Art and Psychology at Berry College in Georgia, where she learnt the technique of relief printmaking during an introductory printmaking course. She states; “I simply fell in love with the process, and the idea of accessible art made possible with print media… Through its history, print has been utilised to make art and ideas accessible, which really speaks to me as I create pieces that anyone can own“. While in college, Lauren worked in art therapy, and from that discovered that she wanted to study Counselling. However, unable to ignore her creative impulses, in addition to her studies, Lauren spends the rest of her time creating, selling, and sharing her work.
Her artworks mostly explore landscapes and natural imagery, but recently Lauren has also been investigating the idea of “how people create space and how images can be used to convey emotion“. Currently completing her Masters of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counselling, the idea of emotional expression spans across both her art and counselling work. “I find that this ties in well to nature, as natural images tend to share universal themes and cross cultural relatability” explains the printmaker.
Lauren’s prints often utilise high contrast, thus can stand alone in the absence of colour. However, for certain pieces she adds watercolour accents, creating a contrast between the delicate medium of watercolour, and the more graphic bold nature of relief printmaking. Her work gleans inspiration from images gathered during her travels, such as those around the American South and U.S. National Parks, and is also inspired by master printmakers that she studied during her artistic training, such as Kollwitz, Kirchner, and Matisse.
Created using traditional print techniques, and fairly simple supplies that are common in the print world, all of Lauren’s works are hand-printed, allowing for a more intimate connection to the pieces. She desribes; “Using pressure from my hand, and occasionally my trusty wooden spoon, I hope to preserve the rich history of print through a method that is distinct to relief printmaking“.
Going forward, Lauren hopes to continue to grow as a printmaker and further establish her studio practice. She concludes; “It is a goal of mine to combine my counseling education with my artistic endeavors, by running a private practice combined with a studio where I can teach neurodiverse populations to create, advocate for their work, and express themselves through art“.
www.studio37prints.com
@studio37prints
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