Laurie Martz

Since moving to the Comox Valley in 2017 I am joyfully living and painting within an incredibly fertile creative community. I am influenced by the natural world around us: the mountains, the ocean, the land and the people who share it. I often use the camera lens to record what attracts me visually and emotionally, and then translate that with paint in vibrant colour.

I meet people and question their processes and their journey. Their experiences provide me with inspiration for ideas to explore and record artfully. The last few years have been a curious exploration of figure drawing and painting, pastels, watercolour and ink for sketching and journaling, and even a book illustration. Currently my work explores abstracted landscape leading to pure abstraction, painting big. Who knows where the next turn will lead!

My artist life officially began when I took my first adult drawing class in Vancouver at Langara College of Fine Arts in 1994. I drew and painted in my “free time” for many years until time became even less available due to family and career constraints; there was then a long drought with only sporadic painting. Retiring from a medical career in 2016, I took my art supplies out of storage, and dove in with passion and abandon.

I am primarily self-taught since taking drawing and painting courses at Langara Fine Arts and Capilano College in Vancouver in the 1990's. After relocating to Comox there have been workshops throughout Vancouver Island and online courses. I am digitally connected to a variety of local and remote arts groups and continue to study and be influenced by many artists whose works and styles I admire and find inspiration in. I am a member of the Pearl Ellis Gallery and volunteer in several capacities to give back to this community.

For additional information, including available artwork, prices, commissions, questions or just to chat...please contact me lauriemartz@gmail.com. To see my work on Instagram go to @lauriebee.painter.