Artist on the Shore—Laura Clawson
Laura is an artist, illustrator, educator, beekeeper, and gardener. Honestly, each of those is its own kind of adventure, and together they say a lot about the way she moves through the world — curious, open, and ready to follow wherever her art leads. I’ve known Laura for a long time (full disclosure, she is my sister-in-law)—long enough to see the quiet determination behind her art, and the way she treats art not as just a hobby, but as a kind of ongoing adventure. Laura is the sort of artist who takes along her brushes, pencils, and drawing pads the way other people carry a backpack with compass, water, and a map; heading into the world with a willingness to be surprised. Her plein air practice isn’t just about painting outdoors; it’s about stepping away from the familiar and letting the landscape shift her plans, her palette, and sometimes even her sense of direction.
For this interview, I wanted to explore that adventurous spirit — the part of her work that embraces unpredictability, welcomes discovery, and proves that art can lead you somewhere you didn’t expect if you’re willing to follow it.
What is your favorite medium when you draw and why?
My favorite medium to create with is watercolor. While I do enjoy working with soft pastels and colored pencils, my passion is with watercolors. I love to try different forms of it, such as watercolor pencils, watercolors in pan sets and tubes.I love the Gansai Tambi the most because of the vibrate colors.
What first drew you to plein air painting, and what keeps you returning to it?
I think my love of nature is what got me into plein air painting. I have always enjoyed being out doors and experiencing the wonders that were created. The more nature I paint the more I notice. I find myself searching for details, colors and shades of colors, light and how it changes colors. I also notice how the angle of the subject being painted can change the painting as well. I love Claude Monet’s quote “color is my daylong obsession, joy, and torment”. Like Monet, I am always trying to get the color, detail, and light right (he was a master at that and I am not….but I will keep trying)
How does being immersed in a landscape affect your decision making compared to working in the studio?
Drawing and painting outside verses creating in a studio is very challenging. You have a lot of factors that can hinder you in the outdoors. The temperature and the wind can at times make it difficult. If it’s too hot, it will affect your watercolors and how it dries on the paper. If it’s too windy, that can be a struggle as well. And it’s not always comfortable to paint with your pad of paper balanced on your lap if you do not have an easel. You also may not have everything you need like you do in your studio.
Do you have a favorite “unexpected discovery” story — a place, a color, a shift in light — that transformed a painting?
My favorite unexpected story of painting outside was a time that I was painting the water at the little beach at Gwynn’s Island. While I was painting the water and the small waves splashing in on the sand, dolphins started popping out of the water out near the sand bar! It was beautiful! But it happened so fast I was unable to get them in my painting.
Have you ever started a plein air piece with one intention and ended up somewhere completely different?
Yes, I have started a plein air painting that did end up different from what I had planned. It was of a pond on the farmland where I live. I started painting from one angle and when I finished I realized it was painted from a different view. I guess I really didn’t like the angle it was in and just decided to make it the way I wanted it.
What does “adventure” mean to you as an artist — and how does that show up in your art and illustrations?
I think as an artist, adventure to me means to explore not only what is known about nature and the outdoors but also the things we are unfamiliar with. Such as painting a landscape of the ocean. You know what the ocean looks like but to watch it change throughout the day, it gives you many different ways to paint the ocean. The light changes the colors and the depth. The tides change, the different birds and sea creatures come and go, the clouds roll in or out…there is constant change when you are painting in the outdoors
If you could give one piece of advice to artists who want to embrace more adventure in their work, what would it be?
My advice to other artists who want to embrace more adventure in their work, is to bring your sketchbook and pencil with you whenever you leave the house. And while you’re out, look for things to draw. If you’re at a coffee house, draw what you see. If you’re going for a walk, draw something interesting you see. Take opportunities to notice and draw it. The more you do, the more you will try to duplicate the colors, the patterns, the light, the mood…once you start painting, you will never look at nature the same way again.
What’s a place you haven’t painted yet but dream of exploring with your brushes and pens?
The place I have not painted yet and would love to is The Lake District in England. Beatrice Potters house and Hill Top Farm is located there. She is one of my favorite illustrators along with Holly Hobbie. I would also like to go to Wales and paint the landscapes there.
I’ve watched Laura grow as an artist over the years and my conversation with her reinforced what I already knew—she stays open to whatever unexpected thing the world hands her all with her brush or pencil in hand. That willingness to step past the familiar is woven into everything she does or makes. Oh, and did I mention, she is the illustrator for our Tibby the Mouse books.
As we wrapped up our conversation, I found myself thinking about how adventure doesn’t always look like a grand event. Sometimes it’s simply choosing to try something new, to pay attention, and to let the moment shift your plans. Laura does that with such grace. And it’s why her art feels more like invitations — reminders that art can take us somewhere surprising, if we’re willing to follow.
