Lara was born in Brighton and studied art at Hastings College and Oxford Brookes University.

Since graduating she and has worked as writer, designer, illustrator and art teacher. Lara now concentrates on her artistic practice, documenting the plants, flowers and fruit that she has both established and inherited in her garden. Recently she has also turned her attention to formal gardens and allotments, and landscapes passed through on road trips 

Having previously worked in the medium of stained glass Lara aims to bring similar elements to her paintings. Working in oils she uses a mixture of brush and palette knife to build layers of colour and texture. Inspiration comes from diverse places in a variety of places; fabrics, floral illustrations, the impressionist painters, ceramic and glass design, paint colour charts and old masters’ still-life painting.

“Light is a vital element in my paintings. I like to create the impression that it is shining through as if the canvas were glass. I enjoy combining this with colour, composition and marks to create something with vibrancy and personality.”

Lara now lives in London and paints from her studio in Crystal Palace. She has a bigger garden now, with fruit trees and a vegetable patch. Watch this space.