Meet Lauri Keener: Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauri Keener and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauri, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The main thought process was recognizing that I wanted to use my skills but I couldn’t find jobs that were looking for what I had to offer. So I would need to create it myself. 

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I work in a variety of mediums… concert posters, murals, live art and watercolor portraits. It hasn’t always been easy but I’ve had a lot of fun with it, One of my challenges was having a fear of crowds and being seen before my art was “complete”. But with live painting, you have to get over that. People will see it whether it looks terrible or whether it looks great. You just have to focus on the fact that you’re excited to be listening to live music and that you get to paint while you do it! There isn’t time to worry, you just have to start painting! The hundreds of live paintings I’ve done taught me more than any art education I have received. The watercolor work I do is more refined which sometimes I appreciate and crave and sometimes I want to move away from. A client just received his piece in the mail and posted that “Lauri paints with watercolor to immortalize the parts of our lives we most care for. Pets, children, homes.”. I like that…

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Go to Rino to check out the murals and grab a bite to eat, maybe at Central Market. Catch some jazz at Nocturn and shoot pool at Gerard’s. Another day, spend time in Morrison before catching a concert at Red Rocks, which is one of the most remarkable places to experience music at.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Seeing others, especially other women create their businesses from scratch and turn them into vessels of their heart and skill has been the biggest help in realizing that something like that was possible for myself as well. Two women that have done that for me are Heather Mullins of @Apresskijewelry and Elizabeth Endicott of @weirdbirds. And an artist mentor of mine is Don Callarman. I grew up seeing his artwork on concert posters and was mesmerized. Years later I would share a studio/gallery with him. I would not be where I am today without the time that we spent working on art and navigating life.

Website: www.laurikeener.weebly.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurikeener and https://www.instagram.com/l.keenerart/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauri-keener-201932155/
Twitter: @laurikeener
Facebook: The Art of Lauri Keener and L. Keener Art
Youtube: Lauri Keener @https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0q8gVq_Zipl4kjuKBiwTjg

Image Credits
Jim Mimna- Picture of me live painting Moe.