LAURA ZISETTE

ARTIST

Music has always been my whole life, but then in August of 2014, during an exceedingly challenging time in my life, I discovered drawing. It surprised me how therapeutic it was. Art became a significant part of my journey to re-find the brightness, the lightness, and the beauty in my life.  While I learned to play my first song on the piano at age 4, I drew my first bird at age 53. 

I like to try different styles of art. The medium I use could be described as ‘anything that doesn’t require a paint brush’. I am much more comfortable holding pencil-like tools. Paint brushes feel like foreign objects to me. This has led me to use pencils, paint pens, pigment pens, gel pens and alcohol markers. I love the blending and layering abilities of alcohol markers. My process is to sketch my idea in pencil, go over it with a thin black pen, erase the pencil so it won’t get caught under the color, then lay in color and finish with black liners. I sometimes go in at the end with gel pens, paint pens or acrylics for special effects.

I have never taken an art class. I did join the local Watercolor Society, since there was no We Don’t Use Paintbrushes society. They broadened their definition to any liquid medium so that I could qualify. Through this organization I entered my one and only art contest to date, open to both professionals and amateurs. A professional won first place, but I won 3rd place! And so, I continue to draw. My hope is that my art can encourage joy, peace and some whimsy in your life like it does for me.