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A lifetime portfolio - early work, incomplete work, sold work, favorite work -was all swept away in the wrath of Katrina. Laura Pecoul was at first devastated but now views the loss of her work as liberating. “It has freed me of all the ‘stuff and made me recognize the importance and joy of the process over the product. During this ‘process’ 1 love to explore color and symbolism, the effects of light on a surface, implied movement and the rhythms of nature, places I’ve been, things I’ve read, and emotions left unsaid.”
Laura is a life-long resident of Gulfport. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a focus in painting from William Carey University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Art Education. She is in a constant state of exploration in her work as an artist with interest in painting, drawing, designing, computer graphics and photography. Her role as a mother and her career as an art teacher with the Gulfport School District provide constant inspiration and fulfillment. She regularly works on commissioned pieces but the bulk of her work is for artistic expression. “Art provides me with a medium to express my worries, joys and experiences; as well as a place to explore the world before me, around me and ahead of me.”
The story behind Wash Out is a fairly simple one.. .Hurricane Katrina! This drawing represents her impression of what it was like in those moments when the water rose and her neighborhood crumbled and washed away with her husband, brother and pets barely escaping the Gulf waters to safety “1 am conscious of my children and their feelings, fears, and impressions. This pushes me to create images that are not scary or painful for me or others. I’d rather mask the ugliness beneath other truths.”