![Pink Splash Image](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/56195b_18a6e4e8ad5d4b129b970533b1b6501c~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_78,y_543,w_2375,h_2401/fill/w_332,h_329,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Untitled%20design%20(21).png)
![Green Splash Image](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/56195b_f037c109967d4a9cbc40e88b229f48fd~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_370,h_490,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Untitled%20design%20(22).png)
Hi, I'm Laura.
I put shame aside and share my unique stories, spicy sense of humour, and depth of wisdom to call in my fellow weirdos.
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In all honesty, I was in survival mode and navigating a traumatic upbringing for the first 25 years of life. After the death of my dad in 2016, I focused on bringing attention to unhealthy family dynamics, trauma, and people experiencing addiction and homelessness.
In 2018 I lost a fellow activist friend to mental health and it forced me to look inward and seek a balance in community work and personal expression. I picked up watercolours and quickly went from burnt-out Child and Youth Worker to Artist and Activist.
Besides actual therapy, I use painting, sculpting, drawing, designing and writing to express the overwhelming space between fear and self-actualization.
My work is a reflection of that journey inward.
Artist Bio & Statement
![Laura Hesp Artist Portrait](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/56195b_4ebaa821fed34ecf87706cdc541790dc~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_0,y_239,w_1728,h_2030/fill/w_515,h_606,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/5.png)
![Laura Hesp Artist Portrait](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/56195b_57fafe879ae84e8bb26eb0e5da3e9871~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_279,h_377,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/4.png)
![Laura Hesp Artist Portrait](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/56195b_28220358e50a4f23837b8221b32d9a7c~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_0,y_0,w_1706,h_2272/fill/w_299,h_388,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/3.png)
Artist Statement:
“After decades of living life behind the perfect mask, I began rapidly cycling through periods of death and rebirth, slowly getting closer to my mushy, vulnerable, core self.
Through painting ethereal landscapes, fairy fantasy worlds and real women's bodies I hope to offer an escape to a world where women, queers, and weirdos are celebrated.
My paintings offer a holistic sensory experience through the use of textures, mediums, bold colours, and unique compositions.