Laura was raised in Orinda, CA and earned a B.S. in Graphic Design from UC Davis. After a career in stock photography and advertising, she settled in San Rafael CA, and for several years was an artist specializing in Hand-Colored Photography. However, her life changed in 2006, when she chanced upon a local oil painting class. A little fun quickly became a driving passion, and she left the photography behind, to pursue the creativity and challenge of plein air (outdoor, on location) oil painting. She began studies with Camille Przewodek, the Marin Art School and many others. Focusing on the “Colorist” approach, she gradually developed a distinct soft style, with a palette of intense warm and cool colors. She is an 8-year member of the BayWood Artists, a small group of professional landscape painters dedicated to the preservation of local open spaces.