Laura  Atkins b. 1961 – 

Laura Atkins, was born in the Detroit area in 1961 and was exposed to art and creative people her entire life. After a career as a Surgical Nurse for 30 years in which she was forced to retire do to being diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and no longer capable of performing her duties in the surgical profession in 2012.   Laura who had also drawn and painted portraits for friends and relatives through out those years as a nurse, Laura was now ready to pursue her first true love of art as a professional full time artist. In a very short time, Laura was able to gain notoriety as a professional artist. Laura is known for her paintings that harness the narrative and mystical world. As a self taught artist, Laura uses techniques by the Old Masters and Pre-Raphaelite and is inspired by artists like Edward Gorey to John Singer Sargent with a twist. Also enticing Laura’s creativity was movie director Alfred Hitchcock, as well as Greek Mythology, Poetry, and Music. Her paintings often featured colorful and fantasy settings, blending romanticism with narrative symbolism while enhancing strong women with almost goddess like capabilities. Within Laura’s enigmatic compositions, tales of woe and whimsical magic coexist. Her work has been exhibited in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Detroit, Tulsa, Las Vegas, New York, Sag Harbor, NY and the MEAM in Barcelona, Spain.