ABOUT
Laura Dunbar is a recent graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design earnign her BFA. She completed a major in painting and minor in equestrian studies while studying at SCAD.
Growing up in the small town of Walpole, New Hampshire, Laura spent most of her childhood playing outside with her brothers. When she was not running around the woods catching toads or bottling up insects for closer inspection, she could be found riding and working at a local horse barn.
Laura learned about livestock beyond horses and gained agricultural experience through 4-H. She had her dreams set on becoming a large animal veterinarian before realizing she would become an artist. Laura’s love for the world around her is now a driving force in her work.
Viewing art was a large part of Laura’s childhood as well. Her and her siblings were brought to museums frequently by their parents and they spent many hours walking through art galleries over summer vacations in Cape Cod with their Nana.
Being surrounded by business savvy role models in her adolescence has given Laura an entrepreneurial spirit. She has participated in conferences teaching her about leadership, marketing, and other business strategies helping to boost her skills in communication, collaboration, and forward thinking.
Long View Farm Murals
Laura began the beginning stages of these murals summer of 2019 by completing thumbnail sketches. These sketches were reviewed by the client and then went under further refining, consisting of more sketching and color studies, to create the final compositions. In June 2020 – September 2020 two out of five murals were completed. Each mural is painted on 10’ x 12’ sliding barn doors.
Each mural will represent a different season on the farm and the activities that transpire during each season. Laura will be completing the remaining three murals in the future.
The client hopes to have outdoor, hands- on, agricultural classes at the farm one day so, not only will the murals be enjoyed by many, but they will also hold educational value, as well.
Longview Farm
338 Borough Rd.
Charlestown, NH 03603
For reference Laura uses a mix of her compositional drawings and photographs taken at the farm. Each mural is started by projecting a scaled sketch onto the prepped mural space and tracing over the outline.
Next, Laura completes the first layer of paint which blocks in the basic colors, shapes, and forms.
Then, it is a matter of trusting the process of layering. Laura has always thought of painting (with acrylics) as building. She works from back to front when painting the layers, starting with the darkest values and building forward to the lightest values.
“Laura was given free rein to paint horses on my barn – huge panels to fill with minimal guidance. At the beginning we described a few scenes we wanted to see, showcased within the changing New England Landscape, and Laura took it from there. She is so incredibly creative, and professional through all stages of her work. She sent us several rounds of drafts including more and more detail, and really made this project come alive. It was fun to watch her work, and always nice to stop in and talk for a while. You won’t find a friendlier or more talented muralist anywhere!” (Long View Farm Murals)
Laura Dunbar Art
Walpole, New Hampshire
Savannah, Georgia
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