Matzke Fine Art and Design

Laurie Baars, Paintings

Laurie Baars is a mixed-media artist living in Seattle, Washington. Her expressive, abstract paintings are built up layer by layer, with collage, acrylic paint, and a variety of other media.

Her work, which often evokes a sense of spaciousness and light, is an intimate expression of her internal and external world.

Largely self-taught, she has degrees in both business and fiber arts and has studied with many nationally and internationally known artists. After a long career as a marketing consultant and part-time artist, she has been focused full-time on painting since 2022.

Her work has been accepted into juried group exhibitions in New York, San Francisco, and Seattle and is held in private collections throughout the USA and abroad.

Artist Statement

My work is an exploration of contrasts – delicate and strong, organic and structured, light and dark. I often prefer working with a limited color palette and respond to my materials intuitively, never knowing what the end result will be. 

My background in fiber arts and pattern design influences my work today, particularly through the use of collage and mark-making. Collage papers created on old book pages and Japanese rice paper find their way into many of my paintings, hidden in the underlayer, partially exposed, or sometimes as a key element in the final composition.

Color, nature, travel, and an inner urge to explore my own visual language are my primary inspirations. Ultimately, I hope that the feelings of calm, freedom, and joy I experience while creating carry through in my work to the viewer.