Laurel Hart's Bio
Laurel’s paintings have hung in many national juried exhibitions including those of the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, Rocky Mountain National, Watercolor West and the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies. Her work has been featured in The Artist’s Magazine, Watercolor Magic and the popular watercolor books, Splash Eight, and Splash Nine. She is the author of the book, Putting People in Your Paintings, published by North Light Books in 2007. Laurel is the recipient of the Gold Medal of Honor presented by the American Watercolor Society at the 2005 International Exhibition, which she considers one of the highest honors she has received as an artist.
Laurel is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society, the fulfillment of a lifetime dream for her, and holds additional signature memberships in the National Watercolor Society, Watercolor West, Western Federation Society, and the Utah Watercolor Society. Her paintings have won numerous awards and can be found in public and private collections across the country, including the Utah State Capitol Building. In June of 2008, Utah’s Governor Jon Huntsman honored her with a one person show at the Governor’s Mansion.
Artist Statement:
As an artist it is more important for me to paint the excitement I feel for a subject than it is to create a photorealistic rendering of it; consequently my paintings lean more to impressionism than realism. Light is always the subject I find most exciting, as I believe it is the loveliest thing that exists. Light gives life and beauty to all that it touches, and it is this truth that I most want to portray in all my paintings. I’m particularly drawn to the dramatic extremes of subjects bathed in full sun, or those backlit in minimal rim lighting.
