Lara's work explores the tick-tock of existence; time passing, how our memories work, the changes in seasons, and how life makes us feel. Above all, Lara is inspired by the joy she finds in colour, light, and nature.
Subject matter ranges from cut flowers or travel-based memories to simple colour transitions, boats in harbours and back again.
Objects are abstracted and reduced to simpler forms and colours are intensified as the story is told. Music always plays when Lara works (female singer-songwriters feature heavily) and influences both the feeling of the paintings and their resulting titles.
Lara studied at Hastings College of Art and Oxford Brookes University, graduating in 1993. Her training was multi-disciplinary and she is comfortable communicating visually across a range of media. Taking a sabbatical as Communications Officer for the Students Union meant adding to her skill set and broadening her horizons. After graduating she moved to Cyprus, where she taught art at school level, learned how to use stained glass, and enjoyed four years of life in another culture.
Returning to Brighton & Hove in the late 1990s, Lara studied Arts Management at Sussex University and set up her gallery. Since 2020 she has worked with emerging and established artists, championing their work alongside developing her practice. Lara is a trained mentor and a large part of her work involves guiding emerging artists.
Lara's go-to media is painting, but she also uses projection and photography in her process and incorporates other methods such as encaustic and collage.
