Art with a Story
Oftentimes in my studio, I listen to music as I work. Sometimes it's quiet, but most times there is something ambient or classical in the background. During the two feverish days I spent on this piece, I was spending some time with Max Richter and his album "Voyager." Voyaging is often what it feels like to be an intuitive painter. Every time I approach the canvas, its as if I prepare myself to take a little trip, and have no idea what my final destination will be. It can be the most exhilarating experience indeed. Nearing what I felt could be the end of this particular pink painting, the song "Dream 3 (in the midst of my life)" came on. This song has a definite pull for me, takes me on a voyage of space and time whenever I have the chance to listen to it intently. And I knew immediately this was the title of the painting, "In The Midst of My Life," as that is where I seem to be at this very moment.
About the Artist
Laurie Maves Guglielmi has always been an artist. She spent her childhood with her family in Freeport, Illinois, along with her larger-than-life imagination, always creating her own reality (often to the chagrin of her small town mid-western parents). There was nothing more she wanted to do, than to make something out of nothing. And if she could make something beautiful, she saw herself as a superhero. While living in Denver, Colorado in the late 1990’s, Laurie took a leap of faith and gradually transitioned from her profession in the non-profit sector as an art therapist to that of a full time fine artist and live performance painter. After nearly two decades of living and working in the Rocky Mountain Region of Colorado, she relocated to the Sun Coast of Florida, where she currently resides in Sarasota with her husband, Ralph Guglielmi.
In March 2019, Laurie opened her first artist studio dedicated solely to art therapy and teaching. She calls her studio, “The 11th Orange” as it is located in downtown Sarasota at 11th and Orange Streets in a brilliant old yellow and orange building. In the 1400 sq foot space, she has 2 classrooms with 12′ ceilings committed completely to teaching her “BE FREE” large scale abstract painting classes as well as arts and expressive therapy workshops. By focusing on the sacred act of mark making, Laurie finds a meditation in painting and experiences a deep spiritual connection in the act of creating. She hopes her students find uplifting experiences while painting and creating in this new space.
In her own large scale abstract experience, Laurie continues to find that the unplanned final images she creates while painting are often only the culmination of her exploratory process. By working in this way, she often feels that she is not making the paintings, but rather allows the paintings to make themselves.