GWEN LAFLEUR
MIXED MEDIA ARTIST, DESIGNER, & TEACHER

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am passionately curious. About the world, about how to make things, about how I could take my memories and feelings about things I’ve seen and​ places I’ve been and combine them with colors, mediums, and surfaces to make art.

I'm an avid world traveler and the culture, art, and architecture of the places I’ve been resonate deeply and inevitably combine with my inherent need to create. I love patterns… textiles… textures and shapes. I can't decide whether I want to sew or paint, collage or assemble, so I mix it all together.

Inside of my head is a rich tapestry of sights, sounds, tastes, and emotions. I don’t compartmentalize European vs Asian influences, African or American. I mix those together too.
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I work with intent and intuition simultaneously. I don't generally try to tell a specific story with my work, but one will sometimes come out on its own. I take whatever combination of feelings, memories, and influences that is swirling inside me at a given time and bring that into my work. Everything I create is in some way a part of me… an expression of that vivid world in my head. And like me, it’s not always deep or full of symbolism, except when it is.

BIO
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​I'm a lifelong artist, crafter, instructor, and world traveler living in my hometown of Herndon, Virginia with my adorable (and opinionated) dog Jake. I've been involved in arts and crafts my entire life, trying anything from drawing lessons to paper crafts and finally finding my true home as a mixed media artist.

My work has been displayed in galleries and can be found in private collections around the world and has also been published in Cloth Paper Scissors, Somerset Studio, Belle Armoire Jewelry, and Creative Scrapbooker magazines. (You may also have spotted me as a cast member in the pilot episode of Destination Craft, filmed in Bali in 2015.)

I am also a product designer and have stencils available through StencilGirl Products, a line of embossing powders and embellishments from Emerald Creek Craft Supplies, embossing powders with WOW!, and rubber stamps with PaperArtsy.