Meet Lauri Bahde | Contemporary, Abstract Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauri Bahde and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauri, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Born with a creative soul, art became my passion at the early age of seven. My mother, a talented artist herself, ignited my artistic journey by painting with me and signing me up for art contests and private art lessons. Through her encouragement at such a young age, painting became an intricate part of my existence. After obtaining a business degree, I pursued a career in event planning but always felt that pull to create and wondered….what if? After relocating across the country to marry the love of my life, we launched and sold a few businesses, started a family and moved to three different states. I continued to paint throughout the years and began to realize painting was not only my passion, it was my calling. With the loving support of my husband and inspiration from my children, I finally took the leap of faith to display my work in a local gallery and never looked back. I launched my online gallery and studio in 2019. I now have many collectors throughout the country and I hope to provide a constant source of enjoyment and inspiration to all who view my artworks.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
Is it easy to become an artist? Certainly artists have many challenges. Knowing how to run a business, staying focused on my goals and believing in myself were keys to my success. One of the greatest challenges I’ve faced as an artist is learning how to become vulnerable. I still remember the day I sold my first painting, to a complete stranger, it was such an incredible feeling of accomplishment. I learned that if you create authentically from your within your soul, others will be drawn to your work and your paintings will start a conversation, make a statement and tell the story of who you truly are.

Abstract expressionism has had a profound influence on my work as I find it exhilarating to watch free-flowing chemical-like reactions of colors transform a blank surface. It’s like an unspoken dialogue which I refer to as “conversations on canvas”. Studio time is where I become completely lost within my work, it’s like a time warp. I love to explore various genres of art so that I’m constantly learning and pushing myself to learn new techniques that allow me to discover my own distinctive style. I never dreamed I’d be creating 8 foot paintings, sometimes using a blow torch to pop tiny bubbles in my resin works. It’s in those creative “wow” moments that take my breath away and remind me how humbly blessed I am to be able to live my dream and pursue my passion.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I thank God for giving me a creative soul, a gift. When I create, I truly know who I am. I was blessed to grow up in a home surrounded by creativity, music and the loving support of my parents who encouraged my to follow my passion. My husband, my rock, not only supports me, but he also custom designed a stand-off mounting system for my large commissioned paintings and he does all of my installations. My inspiration and motivation truly derives from my children, the love and light in my life. I am also grateful to have had other artist mentors throughout my life, the most inspirational is my dear friend, Bette Ridgeway, who taught me how to reach far out of my creative comfort zone. Truly the person who I miss painting with the most and who helped me to find my voice through painting was my mother. She taught me how to speak the inspiring language of love and light through my paintings. She showed me how art can transform, heal and enhance our lives and tell the story of who we are. She believed in me.

Website: https://www.lauribahde.art/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauribahde.art/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauriBahdeArt/

Image Credits
https://www.instagram.com/brookebahdephotography/