STUDIO LAURA

Digital mixed media

I was born in Sweden and growing up, I was always painting and drawing. As an “arty“ kid, I loved rainy days when it was OK to stay inside and paint with watercolor and not be outside playing.

In school the teachers used to take away all my pencils to stop me from drawing, but my drawing paid off and the little fish with funny names that I created in class in high school, was picked up by a poster gallery in Stockholm and then IKEA. I to his day get requests from Sweden to buy my poster with 99 silly fish with funny names!

After finishing my art education in Stockholm, I knew I wasn’t a “fine” artist, I was a visual problem solver and as such illustration was the perfect path for me to take. So I started freelancing, working for magazines, design, and advertising agencies. I loved getting a brief, working with art directors and editors, and getting it just right!

Then in 1993, New York was calling me with all its amazing opportunities. New York loved my clean, graphic style I was soon doing editorial work for important publications, book covers for Nobel Prize winners, advertising campaigns, and more. I was in heaven!

Then one day I wanted to solve my own visual problems so I had to start writing! I have to date published 11 illustrated picture books under my belt that have been published in many languages all over the world. It’s fantastic knowing that the work I do here alone in my studio in Brooklyn reaches out to people across the world!

When people ask me what inspires me, they’re often surprised when I tell them that I rarely visit museums. To me, when a piece of art is framed and hung, the exiting part is over. I am more interested in the artist’s life story and their process. For inspiration, I visit a hardware store any day over an art museum. A hardware store with all it’s colors, shapes, and textures! YUM!