Welcome to the Fine Art Website of Nova Scotia Artist and Oil Painter, Laurie Lacey

 "It is obvious that the main source of the artist's originality is his inwardness, his spirituality, which may be helped by his technical knowledge but never replaced by it." Ambosius Czako, The Magic of Art, Pageant Press, Inc., New York, 1959, p. 12.

To some extent, this site is the story of my life as a fine artist. It contains images of a number of my paintings, some of which were painted over two decades ago.

I've been involved with art, in some form, ever since my school days. In those early years, I loved to work in charcoal, and had many subject interests. I did nudes, portraits, landscapes, seascapes, abstracts, and more nudes - hey, I was a teenage boy, and obsessed with the female form - what can I say!

I also did several oil paintings during my high school years. Here's a painting I called, "Praying Hands".

The oil painting is 30 X 23 cm, and painted on a piece of canvas from a canvas oil painting pad that I had purchased at the local department store.

This would have been between 1965 and 1969.

I recently found the painting among a bunch of my assorted papers from the same period. Notice the yellow auric field that I've painted around the hands.

During my final year at high school, I took an art class with Greg Wentzell. It was a lot of fun! Greg would have hugh sheets of newsprint fastened to the walls of the room. We would each take a position at a sheet of newsprint, and attempt to draw the room around us, including the ceiling and the other students. We used charcoal and had a great time with this exercise in both drawing and perspective!

I have fond memories of the first year that I took oil painting seriously. It was 1980, and I jump-started my career as a Nova Scotia artist, by taking a one week workshop, on location, along Nova Scotia's scenic south shore, with artists, Graham "Buz" Baker, Al Riggs, and Heather Beaton.

On one particlular day, during that week, we went to Stonehurst, Lunenburg County. I was intrigued by an old house, and the tall, colourful grasses that flowed in the breeze around it.

 Now, art workshops are a wonderful way to kickstart a painting career, because not only do you learn new methods and techniques of painting, but, perhaps, more importantly, you are inspired to reach for new levels of artistic expression. I believe the beginner oil painter, should seek out such quality workshops, for the purpose of receiving inspiration and a sense of artistic purpose.

The ability of an art instructor to inspire and motivate a student to paint, is as important as is his or her ability to teach painting or other art forms. My teachers, Graham, Al, and Heather, all possessed this fine quality, as teachers. I have maintained somewhat regular contact with Graham Baker over the years, and he has always been a source of inspiration in my life. He is a first-class teacher and artist.

In the days, weeks, and months, following the 1980 workshop, I painting feverously. I painted and I painted some more . . . . In fact, I did 150 paintings, in the year following the workshop! A few of those paintings were excellent. Perhaps a dozen were good. Perhaps two dozen were fair. The remainder were awful! :)

However, oil paint on masonite, burns well - very well - so I burned the rest. I recall breaking approximately eighty of my paintings into small pieces, and burning them as kindling during the winter months. It is easy to start wood fires with oil painted kindling!

In any event, over the years, I've created hundreds of oil paintings, and hope to explore new directions in the coming years.

Enjoy my website!

Laurie
7 July 2010

P.S.  I am an Affiliate of "1st-Art-Gallery," and that is why their advertisements are on my website. If you click on an ad, you will be taken to the website. If you purchase an item from the website, I will receive an affiliate commission. Thanks for your support!