About the Artist

I am an observer, and I have always been curious about people's everyday lives. I am interested in what it looks like around your dinner table, about your conversations, mannerisms, and

silly stuff such as how you take your tea or coffee. What do you put on your toast?
I grew up in a small town and came from a very large, close-knit family that celebrated everything. Much attention was placed on God, country, family, and community. I adore traditions, and I am so thankful for my deep roots, lessons, recipes, stories, and the connection it created in me for my people and the sacrifices they made.
Norman Rockwell was one of my favorite artists growing up because I got such a kick out of the way he showed the personality of his subjects. I always wanted to befriend them and get to know them all on a deeper level.

I graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the age of 47. I took a couple of years off (going through a divorce), and one of my dearest friends came over to my house and asked me why I wasn't painting. I told him I didn't have an easel or a place to paint. The next time he visited, he had an easel for me. I squeezed it into a corner of my kitchen. This is where my studio still is, and I started painting again. These are the works I have produced in the last four years.

“Lauralei connects to her audience through a unique metaphysical-abstract style that reveals her subjects in unique ways.
Her works have a distinct quality that allows someone to see a painting hundreds of times, and each time more is revealed.”