Art medium(s): Primarily oil paint, with a combination of acrylic paint and modeling paste. But I do not limit myself, I enjoy using all mediums.
How do you describe your art? There is a spiritual thread that runs through everything I create. I contain a deep fascination with the human form, rooted in the belief that we are all made in God’s image. I like to combine realism with abstract, physical forms blurred with the emotions of spiritual truths that are felt in the soul before they are seen in the world.
Were you always interested in following a creative path? Yes! I started drawing around the tender age of 2 or 3. I still have a yearbook from 5th grade asking what I wanted to be when I grew up. The answer? Artist, of course. My whole life I knew this was a gift given to me and a part of what I am meant to do. I was created to create.
What does your “day-in-the-life” look like? First and foremost, putting God and my husband first. Spending time with the Lord, taking joy in my role of keeping the house and cooking delicious meals (I love to cook). I also work for my sister and her husband’s landscaping company Maintaining Excellence as the office manager and designer. I love that my creativity can expand into my part time job. After work I enjoy going to the gym or taking a long walk. In the evenings and on my days off I get lost in my art.
Where do you get your creative inspiration? Through life all around me. Through the trials and growth I’ve personally been through. And through the Holy Spirit within me.
Why do you love what you do? There is a deep knowing, a feeling I can’t quite express that I feel when I am creating—pure joy and bliss, perhaps? Ultimately seeing God working through me, using the gift he gave me to glorify him and touch others.
One thing most people don’t know about being an artist, in your opinion: The resistance to create. This is something I’ve struggled with more as I’ve gotten older. It’s not a creative block, I have oodles and oodles of ideas I want to bring to life. It’s a strange resistance to sit down and start. There is always something else that needs to be taken care of, something else to distract you: “Oh it’s already late, might as well just wait till tomorrow to paint.” You have to push through that resistance and just start. Even if I only end up painting for a half hour, I’ll be a half hour farther along than I would have.
Early bird or night owl? Night owl, 100%.
Last movie you watched or book you read: Movie: Braveheart. I had never watched it before and my husband was appalled. It wrecked me, so good though! Book: Theo of Golden. A truly beautiful piece of literature. It started off slow, but the ending had me shook.
Is the glass half full or half empty? Half full, always. I see blessings around me every day. There is so much to be grateful for, even when going through hardships.
What makes you happiest? Seeing God change lives. And eating a fantastic sandwich oceanside with my husband.
Find Lauren on her website mercurialartist.com, on Facebook under Lauren Kargus, and on Instagram @mercurialart.ist
