DG Interviews: Kansas City Artist Laura Nugent

We're kicking off a new series on our blog entitled, simply, DG Interviews. While we're not limiting ourselves to any particular topic or theme with these interviews at the moment, one form of interview will be artists & designers from different locations around the country (and possibly even the world) talking about their own work as well as the arts community that surrounds them.

Today, we debut the series with an interview with Kansas City artist Laura Nugent. Dolan and I have visited Kansas City on many occasions (his aunt & uncle live there) and have always been intrigued with the city and cultural community. More familiar with the fashion community- Birdies Panties, Spool, The West 18th Street Fashion Show - we wanted to select a visual artist from Kansas City. Laura was an easy choice, a fellow art fair participant, Etsy seller, and Flickr devotee.....not to mention that she, too, creates work inspired by nature's flora and fauna. Our common interest in fiber art was also a nice surprise!

So, with no further ado, say hello to Laura Nugent....

Laura Nugent at KCAC's Underground Gallery: March 7-29

Name: Laura Nugent
Website: www.lauranugent.com
Best Way to Reach Me: laura@lauranugent.com or 913.271.5644
Hometown: I'm from the east, moved out west, and now, I'm happily in the middle: Kansas City!

Tell us a little about yourself.
I've been working full time as a painter and showing my work for over ten years. My degree is in painting, from the Maryland Institute College of Art. I studied at the SACI Florence program as an undergraduate. In 1992, I moved to New York City where I worked a demanding full-time job and took classes at the New School for Social Research. I was not devoted to art-making during those years, but it was a very enriching and maturing experience. After I married my husband, we moved to the West Coast, first Los Angeles and then Portland. I started making art again and within two years was exhibiting and selling my work.

These days, I travel in the Midwest doing art fairs from April to October. I work through two art consultants on original commissions and licensing images for reproduction. I keep my customers & collectors in the loop with e-mail newsletters and an updated website. Fortunately, I'm able to spend some time every day in my studio. I rarely say no to an invitation to show my work.

Merchandise Mart, Chicago

When people ask you about your work, do you tend to focus on your materials, techniques, genre, inspiration, ideology, or a combination of all those?
I have noticed that most conversations start with very basic questions. For example "how long does it take you to make a painting." It's not an earth-shaker of an inquiry, but it can open up a deeper conversation about process and materials, how and where I work, & why I paint what I do. Ultimately, this may point toward why a piece has an assigned value. It is important to me that I convey the satisfaction that painting has given me and how important it is to my life, in whatever answers I give to people.

Library Show - Kansas City, Kansas Public Library

The career path of an artist can follow many different trajectories. What are some of the options you find most exciting in today’s marketplace or options you wish you knew about when you were younger?
Looking back now, there should have been more focus on career and business in art school. When I graduated I didn't know how to write an artist statement or put together a gallery-level portfolio. The only person who was curious about what I was going to do after graduation, was a printmaking instructor, and he asked me at a keg party! Instructors emphasized getting the MFA and teaching, not entrepreneurship. There has been such a drastic change in that area. Many of the boutique businesses in KC are owned by young KCAI grads. They are an impressive lot.

It seems as though the online art/craft marketplace is in a state of acceleration. When I do have time for tooling around the web, I see things that I'm not doing and need to consider. My one-time simple mission of making paintings/selling paintings in a state of redefinition. The options are so plentiful, that remaining an "unrepresented artist" has the same or greater potential than the original model of exclusive gallery representation.

Installation Shot at Underground Gallery

What have you been working on most recently?
I just opened a solo exhibit of my paintings at the Kansas City Artists Coalition gallery. It was a huge opportunity and I am thrilled with the show. There has been a shift in my work that came out of the many hours of concentrated work. You can see some installation shots on Flickr.

What’s coming up?
Art fairs! I think I just booked five in a row.

Mulvane Mountain/Plains Art Fair, Topeka, Kansas

Any other exciting news you’d like to tell us about?
I currently have work in two juried exhibitions here: Cultures without Borders and Art at the Center. I was selected to be in the Kansas City Business Committee for the Arts "Now Showing" program. It links the top businesses in KC with artists. We show our work in their companies and have the opportunity to become part of their collections.

What question are you never asked in interviews and would like to be asked?
That's funny that you're asking. I am being interviewed soon by our local NPR arts reporter, about my exhibit. Since it will be on tape, I'm praying that she asks me only questions I know the answer to.

What’s the best part about life as an artist in Kansas City ? What are the disadvantages (if any)?
According to the Metro Arts Council, KC is fifth in the country for number of artist residents. I think that speaks to what a good location this is. If you want to travel with your work, we are well situated. The cost of living is lower than most of the cities I've lived in. The commercial gallery district is established enough that new pockets are developing in other urban neighborhoods.

In four years of living here, I've not thought that I was supposed to be somewhere else, or would be doing better somewhere else. Putting down roots has been important. It leads to shows and shows lead to sales.

Victorians in White

Who are some artists that people should know about from Kansas City? When visiting Kansas City, what cultural/independent hot spots should people check out?
Even though I am a painter, I am continually fascinated by and drawn to the diversity of fiber arts. Here are just a few who live and make art in the KC area:

• Andrew Johnson
  
• Mary Beth Yates
  
• Holly Stewart
  
• Jessica Kincaid
  
• Debra Smith
  

Andrew Johnson - Tilda Tinkers in the Garden

Destinations:

• H& R Block Artspace.
• The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art
  
• Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
• Crossroads Arts District
  
• Grand Arts
  
• Review Studios and Magazine
  
• Urban Culture Project
  
• Belger Arts Center
  

Your website states, “I don’t blog. I Flickr.” Who are some other artists you’ve discovered from Flickr?
These printmakers have inspired me to dust off my press and integrate the practice into my own art:

Washington State ACEO cards by pinkbathtub

• M. Lee
  
• Pink Bathtub
  

To conclude, what are your three favorite available works at the moment and how can they be purchased?
Please contact me for purchase details.

Bloom Like a Lotus Flower 24"x48" original acrylic on canvas painting $1150.00

India Palace, 30"x30" original acrylic on canvas painting $900.00

Cerulean Bird, 6"x6" original acrylic on canvas painting $65.00

Thank you, Laura, for a wonderful interview!