Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Christensen.
Hi Laura, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
As a kid in the 70’s, I loved building forts with the neighborhood boys and romping the canyon for creative abandoned supplies. I remember challenging building and art materials to see what they could do. I also collected beautiful rocks of all shapes and covered them in paintings and drawings. I have to laugh because since then, even though I went to San Diego State University for a BA in Art with an emphasis in Environmental Design and traveled and studied in some amazing places for my education, I’m still building forts, (working as lead architectural designer, but now I call them ADUs and houses), and making my small art rocks, (which have now turned into art jewelry and hand painted everyday objects that beg for iconic color and stylistic swooshes.)
With an architect father and a Native Alaskan mother who always had her arts and craft projects underway on the kitchen table, hanging on walls and scattered through the house, there was no escaping a wonderful opportunity to learn the lesson of good design and importance of working with my hands. The flavor of my work has always been a mix of California and Native Alaskan feel due to my love for San Diego and my Mom’s village and family in Unalaska AK.
After college I moved to Berkeley, CA and worked for an architectural firm. While living in the Berkeley Hills I spent weekends hiking in the Bay Area’s beautiful parks and trails and spent many nights in my basement making glass beads with a torch and kiln. I began selling my glass jewelry creations online and vending at art shows. I was hooked.
I loved the interaction with people at the shows. The other artists were “my people” and creating and vending was all I truly wanted to do. When my daughter was very young we moved back to San Diego. I became a member of Spanish Village in Balboa Park juried in for wire wrap, glass and enamel. I was a patio artist in the beginning and was invited to be part of a studio later on. It was wonderful to have a place where I could teach wire wrapping to people of all ages.
Another amazing San Diego opportunity I was proud to be a part of took place in the beach community of Encinitas. Art N Soul shop creator and curator Cindy Blumkin found me at an OB Artisan Alley and invited me to be a part of things as it found it’s legs in the northern beach area. My work was sold there for years. I especially loved that the shop gave more to the artist as well as supporting local charities after paying the rent for shop.
I continue to attend events as a maker. I especially enjoy seeing the younger artists out there and experiencing everyone’s unique stories through their work.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think an artist’s work always reflects the story of their life whether it is intended or not, so when I had struggles creating became even more important for me as a tool to process things. In 2018 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I am a breast cancer survivor. I would take my polymer clay with me to chemo and make colorful bangle bracelets. Even if I was too weak to make a bracelet, there was something about holding that clay that made me feel better. I think it reminded me of a purpose and vision that there was more to being sick in that moment. When I was cleared from cancer, I found a simple lotus ring that I wear on my thumb which marks new life to me. To this day I stamp all my clay designs with it to remember. I also adopted a lotus design for my Christensen Studio logo and added a mantra to “Live your life artfully.”
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
While jewelry design has always been a favorite path for me, I’ve started sharing something new this year. I’ve developed a painting technique I affectionately call “Neo Tole.” When I was a child, my Mom and my Nan would attend a weekly Tole Painting class where they would paint and decorate everyday objects using a learned method that was folk in origin. As an artist and a designer, I loved that our everyday objects could be personalized and special.
I’m very proud of my latest pieces of bright colors, made by mixing acrylic paints with a painting medium, so the paint does what it does best, and that is flow. While in the wet state I use dental tools and various objects to drag and push the paint creating patterns sometimes evoking modern patterns of the 50’s and even tribal patterns to my delight. The combination of bright colors and pattern feels almost iconic. And as a maker these are very satisfying to create.
What makes you happy?
Travel always make me happy. It fuels my artist soul. I recently took a road trip through several states in the American Southwest. When I came home to my studio I sat down and left the real world for over 12 hours, not even realizing it. I painted and sculpted to my heart’s content. There were colors and patterns I couldn’t wait to explore. The trip inspired me in a way I could only translate by simply making things with my hands. I was on a vibrational high and knew it was my highest purpose to create at that moment. This is what being an artist is to me, and this makes me very happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chrisstudio.net
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/christensenstudio
