Congratulations to artist Lara Mann, our latest Instagram Winner! Based in Boulder, CO, Lara is a mixed media artist whose work uses the power of repetition to create a calming effect, helping to soothe anxious minds. "I have two different styles: One that collaborates with nature by using raw wood slabs and the other work attempts to evoke surreal landscapes with minimal representation."
Does where you're from or where you currently live influence your work
Absolutely! I moved to Colorado in 2021 after living in Illinois for most of my life. As many people know, Illinois is quite flat. I had been painting mountains and that hadn’t been easy to translate into a midwest audience. So with the pandemic, my partner and I decided to relocate to Colorado. Every day I feel like I live in a painting here in the foothills and get inspiration in my surroundings.
What's your art background? Are you self-taught or did you study art?
I have a pretty typical artist story arc. Being an artist was ingrained in my identity since I was able to hold a pencil. My earliest memories were of me drawing and I was considered the weird art kid. My parents supported my endeavors and had me taking adult art classes when I was 12. There was never a doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t be an artist and when the idea of college arose, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I attended art school in Pittsburgh and earned my BFA from Carnegie Mellon in 2011.
Are you a full-time artist or do you create around work hours?
I have a 9-5 job working for a local Public Art program and my 5-9 job in my studio creating my own artwork.
What do you love about the mediums that you use in your work?
I love being a mixed media artist because nothing is off limits. I use oil paint, acrylic paint, glitter, gold leaf, and whatever else that may strike my interest. Resin in my work is used primarily as a way to create depth which makes my artwork unique.
How did you discover resin?
I had a coworker who used resin and encouraged me to try it out! I was super intimidated because resin can be finicky and it was expensive. After I used it for the first time, I never looked back - I’ve been using resin in my artwork for over 13 years.
How has resin impacted your artwork?
Resin was the missing piece that made my artwork come together in a way nothing else had while I was trying to define my personal art style in my early years. I love using resin to create an outcome that is completely unlike any traditional medium.
Can you provide a brief rundown of your process?
I gather inspiration everywhere and have a sketchbook I carry with me daily to capture ideas whenever they strike. When I have an idea fleshed out, I purchase any materials I am missing. Once I get the surface prepped, I start the creation process. I usually use about 2-4 layers of resin in my work so creating an artwork can take me a month or even months to complete depending on the size and materials. My artworks normally average about 30-40 hours to complete per piece.
Why do you want to make art? What motivates you to create?
Much like breathing, sleeping and eating, I need to make art in order to live and feel alive. I get restless and anxious if I’m not able to create art. I feel complete when I’m able to get regular time in my studio.
Does art help you in other areas of your life?
When I decided to pursue art professionally, I knew it would be practically impossible to sell art and be able to live comfortably. That’s when I decided to use my creative skills to also hold jobs that were art adjacent, like working in galleries and doing custom art framing design, and now I’m working for a public art program. Needless to say, my practice influences my job and vice versa. I’m a much better professional artist from my experience in the art world.
What do you hope someone sees or feels when they look at your art?
In my practice, I aim to recreate places from memories or dreams that usually exist only in one’s imagination. I hope that when someone experiences my work, they are captivated by a sense of extraordinary familiarity that lingers with otherworldly fascination.
How do you define success as an artist? What does that look and feel like for you?
My driving motto is “Success is not linear”. Some days feel like utter failures and other days feel like knockout winners. At this point in my career, success for me is being able to share my art and sell enough of it to then sustain my practice by paying for my studio and my supplies.
What's your favorite resin tip you'd like to share with our readers?
I think my favorite thing about it is that you can layer materials that you wouldn’t normally be able to. For example, I like to use oil paint as the background for many of my landscape paintings. In any other instance, an artist would never layer anything other than oil paint over oil paint but with resin I can use it as a buffer to then use acrylic paint on the top layers.
Where do you sell your work?
I sell my work on my Instagram as well as the galleries I show in. I have a studio in North Boulder and sell my work in person on our First Friday events that happen every month in the community.
Congratulations on your win, Lara!
To see more of Lara's art
Visit her website: lara-mann.com
follow her on Instagram: @l.a.r.a.m.a.n.n
Every month, to celebrate our community of artists, ArtResin will send out a 32 oz kit to two lucky people who have tagged us on Instagram, showing the work they've created with ArtResin.
ArtResin: The Original Epoxy For Resin Art.
