Art Collecting for Us: Meet Laurie MacMillan
A mostly self-taught artist, MacMillan guides the gazer into a natural world distilled by the abstract
Growth. Decay. Renewal. These are the cycles represented in California artist Laurie MacMillan’s mesmerizing works. As you gaze at them, the paintings reveal themselves layer by layer. Her use of color, shape, and texture creates movement and life.
“Down to Earth,” acrylic on canvas, 40 by 30 inches; $2,750
MacMillan is a contemporary painter who derives inspiration from the natural world around her … often in her own back yard. “I always see mountains, geological formations, hiking trails or plant life in the abstract patterns I make,” she says.
Most of her paintings are done in acrylic, with some notable variations using oil and cold wax. She paints mostly local scenes, capturing California’s botanical abundance. And surprisingly, MacMillan did not make a living as an artist until mid-career. She sold real estate and served various roles in the travel industry. But her Santa Barbara home was always a place for creative renewal.
Second Life
When her home and studio burned down in 2008’s catastrophic Tea Fire, MacMillan moved to a new home and found solace by walking through her gardens. She knew very little about gardening but began getting her hands dirty and noticing the teeming life that thrived there. This new passion launched a whole new series called “My Backyard.”
Abstract art is based not on an actual representation of a scene or an object, but more upon how it makes one feel. MacMillan’s recovery from the fire as well as her innate ability to observe and interpret gives her art incredible animation. Some pieces are quiet, others stimulating, but all of them evoke a response that goes well past the naked eye.
“Circles of Life,” acrylic on canvas, 16 by 16 inches; $950
“Autumn,” acrylic on canvas,16 by16 inches; $975
Two of her most recent works, “Full Circle” and “Opposites Attract” are an experiment using acrylic and water-soluble markers. These smaller paintings are on a 10-inch birchwood square and are priced at $450 each.
“Full Circle,” acrylic and water soluble markers, 10 by 10 inches; $450
“Opposites Attract,” acrylic and water soluble markers, 10 by 10 inches; $450
If you’re intrigued, I encourage you to visit MacMillan’s website or check out her paintings on various gallery sites like Chairish and Saatchi Art.