Daily Inspiration: Meet Laura Mc Donnell Smith

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Mc Donnell.

Hi Laura, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Yes, sure! My full name Maria Laura Mc Donnell Smith, I am an abstract artist and graphic designer, born in Buenos Aires Argentina in July 1977. Since I was little, I showed aptitude for drawing, a technique that I perfected throughout my youth. My first experience in the world of painting was in 2007 when I started painting similar representations of well-known paintings. These initial paintings of mine were well received by critics. That motivated me to create my own works, giving the world what comes from inside me through painting. In 2019 we moved from Buenos Aires to Raleigh because of my husband´s job and I started to think how to fit in this new country, different culture, and language. It wasn’t easy at first, but now after two years living here, I can say I feel comfortable enough to build my business and expand my network.

I have created more than 150 paintings in the last 14 years, on canvas and paper that have been distributed all over the world, from my beloved Argentina to Chile, Uruguay, Perú, Colombia, México, Brazil, The U.S., and Europe.

Since 2007 I have worked with a wide range of techniques, Oil, acrylic, watercolors, etc. This is how I have developed at least 6 different collections.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It wasn´t a smooth road…. at first when I started, I had to deal with the conception about being an artist is having no money to live with, the poor and traumatized artist. I had to believe in myself, trust in my gift, and don´t listen what the others said about the artist life. Create the life I wanted, wasn´t easy. At the beginning, I was a graphic designer full time and on my spare times, I painted. After 7 years of that, I started taking the art more seriously and worked as a designer part-time and worked as an artist at home in the afternoons. It was after moving to Chile, that I got the confidence enough to quit graphic design and be an artist full time. To create a business on art. And with this previous experience about living abroad and start again from scratch, it was possible to me to do the same here.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Well, my work actually is not only painting and selling art. I´ve discovered the way to mix my passion for art and design and started a business helping people with design techniques to style their homes in a unique way that is tailored to their personality. My purpose is to make beautiful homes, perfectly decorated according to their likes and style. Decoration and design are not only about the aesthetic, but about personality and communicating something. Some people usually stress with decoration, so I’ve arranged the process to be simple and smooth for them, while getting a professional result. With each client I go through a three-step process to find the right design for them. First, we have a meeting (virtual or in person) to talk about what they are looking for. After the meeting, I send them a quiz to discover their personality and color palette.  Lastly and based on the results, I show my specific proposal to them, with a mood board, art paintings options and suggestions of furniture, styling objects and, Voilà!

And about my creative process, it is guided entirely by my intuition and I try to capture the emotions that I feel without any prior plan or expectations. Then the brushstrokes are flooded with colors, textures are intertwined and, the creative moment that gives shape to my paintings begins.  I believe painting is a communication between the soul and the world. It´s listening to my heart and trusting in the process.

Inspired by colors and textures, both in art and in life, I am very fond of landscapes, nature, and animals. Dazzled by natural phenomena and as a designer, I am passionate about fashion and decoration as well.

My work is plenty of colors, different textures, and materials. From big canvases to small paper paintings. After finishing a painting, I feel relief, joy, and fulfillment, as if I brought something out me that needed to be expressed to the world.

I create paintings that help you heal and feel emotions. They are not just decorative paintings; they have a purpose.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was very similar to as I am today. I was a little girl with a lot of dreams, some of them changed but I´m still a dreamer. I´m still passionate about painting and drawing and I love dancing too. I was and still am a social person, I love to make friends and spend quality time with them. Also, I love my family and they continue to be the most important thing, as they were when I was young.

Contact Info:

• Email: laura@lauramcdonnell.com
• Website: www.lauramcdonnell.com
• Instagram: @lauramcdonnellart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauramcdonnellart

Image Credits
Elena Loeffler Photography