laura naples, abstract painter
I feel like I start each story with a narrative that paints a picture of me surfing Instagram and landing on fascinating pages that highlight various interesting people.
Well, that is true yet again.
I found my way to Laura Naples’ page and became eager to see more. Her elevated pieces look straight from a New York City gallery, with the comfort and approachability of the midwest. Laura has an aesthetic that is subtly sophisticated and soothing; visual ASMR for those who are familiar. Clean lines, earthy tones and plenty of room for interpretation, her work is timeless.
Laura’s work invites a type of fluidity and curiosity that gives the mind a sense of freedom. Freedom to explore thoughts without the interruption of consciousness, freedom to release expectations of what comprises traditional art.
An early Saturday morning visit to her studio felt like I was stepping into one of her paintings. The cool, concrete floors paired with the contrasting warm, neutral furniture felt modern and settling. We drank coffee, dialogued about creativity in Cleveland and how her pieces are emotionally charged by people, places, and things.
Tell me three adjectives that describe your art.
Sinuous, harmonious, luminous.
Talk about the perspectives, ideas or insights that inspire your art the most.
For me, the practice of making art integrates connections I notice and piece together over time. I collect references that have personal resonance - sculptural line and form in architecture, color in fashion and beauty, texture in nature and food, rhythm in music and typography. I extract elements that feel essential or meaningful to me and arrange them into a composed painting or series of works. That distillation process involves making decisions that can feel very aware to almost subconscious.
It’s a practice of being attuned, pausing, and taking risks to move ahead (occasionally going backward to move forward). My practice translates visually as I explore that tension between alignment and flow.
Your mom has had a valuable impact on your journey as an artist. Talk about what that means to you.
My mom, a kindergarten teacher, encouraged me to be creative and curious. When I was young, she brought me to museums, galleries, and art shows where I encountered many kinds of work - sometimes even the artists themselves - and began to develop a vocabulary for art and creative practices. I also began to recognize patterns to what would catch my eye, which I now understand was the early formation of my point of view. My mom was my first and most constant art teacher in this way, which was (and still is!) such a gift.
“It’s a practice of being attuned, pausing, and taking risks to move ahead (occasionally going backward to move forward).”
Talk about the evolution of your work. In what ways would you like to see your art continue to unfold?
What began as primarily a representation of what I wanted to see around me has evolved into a process that gives me a lot of information - about myself, about life, about tenets of creativity and experimentation. I’d like to continue to explore those layers while simultaneously expanding into new materials and art forms. My earliest leanings were toward drawing, so I’ve been incorporating more gestural linework to loosen and feel a different type of connection in the pencil meeting paper or canvas.
I’d also like to develop collaborative design projects with artisans, travel and show work regularly again, and become more intentional in telling my story.
How is your work emotionally moved by people, places, and things?
I think my paintings contain emotion as a record of the past, consideration of the present, and visualization of future experiences.
For example, I recently discovered images of a home in Australia that features multi-colored walls brushed to a soft texture, contrasted with natural stone fixtures and curvilinear furniture forms in playful, elegant combinations. The sensual interplay of these elements has informed several of my recent paintings in a way that incorporates those visual links with a sense of imagining how someone in that environment might feel.
How do you know when a piece is done?
It’s not easy to know. Lately I trust that it’s done before I think it’s done.
This means when I sense it’s almost complete, but I might still keep going, I tell myself to take a step away. The pause might last a few minutes or a few weeks before I make a final decision, but I think it’s a necessary step for me and almost an act of discipline.
What are your five must-haves while painting?
Now that I’m middle-aged (!), my #1 must-have is a foam pad for my knees. I paint on a concrete floor, so I need some cushion.
I need to listen to something while painting - music, podcast, or audiobook. Some of my favorite topics to consider while painting are psychology, creativity, and personal narrative. I love to learn while I paint and occasionally pause to take notes in whatever sketchbook I have lying around while I listen.
I like to have my phone nearby to photograph works in progress and sketch on top of the photos. I use a free app called You Doodle, but am about to upgrade to an iPad for this purpose.
My printer is an indispensable tool. I love to print out reference images from my phone and scatter them around me while I work. Examples I’ve recently printed include artisan chocolate infused with flowers, bars of soap, floral arrangements, a spiral staircase, and a vase with an iridescent glaze. I source images on Instagram, in magazines and periodicals, and books.
I must also have some kind of beverage, whether water, green or herbal tea, or really good coffee.
What is a common misconception that people have about being an artist out of Cleveland, Ohio?
Due to its midwest location and smaller scale, some people who are unfamiliar with Cleveland might mistakenly perceive a void of creative activity and culture in our city.
For artists, I think Cleveland is actually a wonderful place to live and work. The creative community here is vibrant, supportive, and warm. I feel grateful to be part of it.
Talk about your experience working with the Cleveland Museum of Art.
I worked in the executive office, so I interacted with staff across all the museum’s departments and programs, as well as with visitors and guests. It was fascinating to learn about the museum from behind the scenes and to also develop an understanding of how the museum experience translates to the public side.
I continued to make art at home on a part time basis. I would get constant inspiration from the museum environment. Some days, I would get up from my desk for a few minutes just to walk the galleries and visit my favorite spots (the Glass Block sculpture gallery, as well as Gallery 301 - a tiny hidden spot with an incredible view.
What were some of the deciding factors for you and your sister to start NG Collective? Was a business partnership always the plan?
It wasn’t part of the original plan - I don’t believe either of us started out making art with the intention of developing it into careers.
We turned to painting as an additional channel of conversation with each other.
Over time, our combined approach evolved into two separate studios - Kristen’s in Atlanta, and mine here. We still provide feedback and support one another in our work lives just as much as we always have in our personal lives. That we are now both working artists is a special thread of connectivity with each other.
How has your experience with graphic design served you in your work?
Principles of graphic design - alignment, repetition, contrast, proximity, balance, color - are all there.
My paintings on black backgrounds emerged from my fascination with negative space and knockout type - light type against a dark background - the inversion of the graphic standard.
I also have an appreciation of letterforms and the expressive gesture of calligraphic lines.
Describe how you felt when you sold your first piece of art.
I felt grateful to have created a connection with someone through something I made.
I still feel that today when someone decides to collect my work. And I probably also felt a ping of sadness to let that first work go, because I still feel that, too - although just like each day that passes on to the next, it’s a new opportunity to make something else and to build on that history.
What advice would you give someone trying to become a full-time artist?
You don’t need to have an art degree to be a full-time artist.
To be an artist, you have to make art - which sounds more simple than it actually is, because to make art, you have to constantly overcome things that get in the way.
Fear is the driver of most of those obstacles, so to become a full-time artist, you have to develop an awareness of your relationship with fear and a discipline to work alongside it. Finding community with at least one other person who also engages in creative practice can be a tremendous source of support and companionship. I’m grateful for platforms like Mills Rd. that explore creativity and offer windows into the lives and work of people who see and feel things differently, yet in ways that often feel connected.
“You don’t need to have an art degree to be a full-time artist. To be an artist, you have to make art - which sounds more simple than it actually is, because to make art, you have to constantly overcome things that get in the way.”
In what ways has social media been a beneficial outlet for you?
It has created a way to share my work outside of my immediate surroundings.
It has also facilitated relationships and partnerships with other artists, allowing us to maintain ongoing conversation around the sharing of our work and processes.
What is one thing you want people to takeaway whenever they visit your studio space?
I hope they feel a sense of warmth, calm, and belonging.
I hope they take something away from the experience and understand that their presence and interaction with my art is a take away for me, as well.
How do you celebrate whenever you finish a painting?
Sometimes I celebrate with a special dinner (Zhug is my favorite in Cleveland) or an indulgence (I once bought myself a Bauhaus-inspired vintage silver ring to commemorate a sale).
Sometimes I’ll just do a celebration dance to 80s music in my studio or in my kitchen.
Now that the world is starting to open back up, are there any exhibitions coming up for you?
Yes - I have an exhibition in New York in November, and one in Charleston, SC in January 2022.
I look forward to creating a new body of work for each show and to travel to those cities, which are two of my favorite places in the US.
