Category
2025, Mixed MediaArtist Website: dlawrence.faso.com/
BIO:
My focus as an artist has always been color. Trying to achieve colors so intense that the viewer is drawn to the artwork, like a moth to a flame. Nature inspires me with many surprises in color and pattern. The purpose of my paintings is to make us more aware of our surroundings and their beauty.
Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, I graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute with a B.F.A. in Painting and Printmaking. After the Art Institute I went on to receive my teaching certification from the University of Missouri in Kansas City. My teaching experience began in the public-school system of Independence, Missouri. After moving to Kansas in 1975 I continued teaching in my studio and other venues. I have taught workshops and given demonstrations in Kansas and Missouri in Silk Painting and Watercolor. Because of my experience, I was selected as an instructor for Silk Painters International Conferences in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018.
Artist Statement:
Color and movement are my focus in my sky paintings. My work can be described as abstractions with a reference to Nature. My environment is one of open fields and large expanses of sky. The weather is in a constant state of flux and sky colors are everchanging with temperature and wind. I want the viewer to feel this energy and excitement in my work.
The techniques I use in depicting these sky abstractions are also evolving. I have found silk painting to be a fluid and intense media to depict this subject matter. Heavy silk,16mm charmeuse or wedding silk, is a fabric that works well for my work. It stays wet longer than other weights of silk and the sheen intensifies the brightness of the color.