Laurel Astor, Glenwood Springs
Member Since May 2010
Artist Statement Laurel Astor’s work merges old world European elegance with the vibrancy of landscapes of the American West, and ranges between the two. Her pastels evoke an experience of simpler times when life was uncomplicated. Classical still lifes recall French country kitchens: pomegranates on a shelf, eggs in a blue bowl, a simple teapot on a white tablecloth, a single pear. Her landscapes have a more impressionistic style. People have commented on her great use of color.
Laurel started working as an artist in 2003, after a peak moment of realization in a Telluride art gallery that she could make a living doing something she loved. A self-taught artist, she initially worked in watercolors until a pastel workshop introduced her to a new medium. Laurel came home and started a unique blending technique, and now works in pastels and watercolors.
Evolving rapidly as an artist, within a year she had work exhibited in two galleries and was accepted into two major juried art festivals, Park City and Kayenta. In the Fall of 2005 she received the top Merit Award at the Escalante Plein Aire event, her first outdoor art competition. Since that time she has won over 30 awards for her work, and participated in over 20 high-end art festivals including Jackson Hole, Scottsdale, Park City and Santa Fe.
Laurel works out of a studio at her home and maintains a website: laurelastorart.com. She hosts workshops in pastels, watercolors and acrylic; teaches private lessons; and sells her work internationally through Poems Publishing. She currently lives in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
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