Mother Artist: Lauren Knight

Lauren Knight (Painter, Gardener, Mother of 3)

What should you listen to while reading this Mother Art Story?

Music: The National, The Staves, Grizzly Bear

Podcast: My Favorite Murder

In our inaugural Mother Art Artist’s Story, we share the work and life of Artist Lauren Knight of University City in St. Louis, MO. Her family life includes a husband, Andrew, and three sons, Milo (13), Oliver (11) and Emil (9). Currently, her two youngest attend in-person school at Villa di Maria Montessori in Kirkwood, while Milo is virtual learning through the University City School District. 

The Early Life 

A Midwesterner through and through, Lauren was born and raised in Dayton, OH by parents who valued art-making. “My parents always provided space and materials for us to explore our own creativities.” Her professor father even hosted visiting artists who would stay in their family home. Lauren recounted professional artists, particularly women, impressing upon her nine year old psyche the idea that being weird, bold and unapologetic was a downright ideal way to live life (Amen!) Sadly, Lauren’s father died after a heartbreaking battle with cancer when she was only 12. Lauren would go on to not only invest in traditional forms of art, like painting and photography, but also practice honoring the artistic potential of everyday tasks and objects. When asked if this was in someway an homage to her Father, she said “It may have been, but being an artist was just always who I was.”

The Art

I met Lauren at Kaldi’s in Kirkwood on a chilled, rainy morning in late September. Her order? Chai Tea Latte. I got a half-caff vanilla because I like to pretend I pace my pregnancy caffeine consumption. We were served our drinks in REAL ceramic cups, which felt very February 2020. After a quick catch up, we dove right in to Lauren’s two major creative passions, painting and gardening, which seem to coexist seasonally. In colder months, Lauren is laser focused on her paintings. “I’m inspired by nature. The colors in nature, the way leaves lay.” To begin a piece, Lauren works from photos she takes with her iPhone. “The quality is just so good! You really don’t need a fancy camera to get high quality photos anymore.” After uploading them to her computer, she zooms in on the image until it’s pixelated, which helps her see colors in an entirely different way. “When I was painting portraits, I would see that there is actually blue and purple in skin tones. I wouldn’t ever have seen that had I not looked closer.” This sparked a conversation about art school, as I remember from my time in painting classes realizing that very flat, unassuming colors were actually made up of tones that spanned the entire color spectrum. Lauren studied psychology and social work in college. “I think there are some things I missed out on by not having formal training, but I think I’m figuring it out on my own just fine.” (Um, yes Lauren. You most certainly are!) Another inspiration for her are patterns and textiles, particularly in her beloved favorite clothing line, Ace and Jig. “I incorporate their patterns into my paintings all the time! I am just in love with their clothing.”

“I think there are some things I missed out on by not having formal training, but I think I’m figuring it out on my own just fine.”

Lauren works in her home studio. “All I really need are open windows and lots of natural light.” Because she’s prone to migraines, Lauren prefers to work with acrylics as the chemically smell of oil paints and their accoutrements are too tempting for the migraine monster! “I paint fairly fast, so working with acrylics makes the most sense for me. I like that it dries quickly so I can layer on paints to get the effect I want.” It’s true, Lauren’s paintings are downright delicious.. And where does Lauren get her supplies? Our local gem, Art Mart! “They have the best stuff and are definitely affordable.” 

And, to answer THE golden question of “soooo, do you sell your work?” Yep! Lauren has actually sold several pieces via Instagram. “I do end up selling a lot of my work, which was sort of a surprise bonus.” She doesn’t pressure herself to qualify her work and worth based on what sells and what doesn’t. “I paint what I like and if it doesn’t sell, then I have a beautiful piece for my home.” 

So, how does painting jive with having three ruff and tumble (they are quite literally circus kids!) boys in the home? Lauren admits it’s not easy. “My ideal painting space would be alone, with no one in my house.” Same Lauren, Same. The past eight months have been particularly trying in regards to this goal. “At this point they’re old enough to do things on their own, which is helpful. I actually like when they come ‘check in’ on me. I like when they see how much work I put into my paintings.” But things aren’t always so smooth. “Usually, they’re coming in because they need me to break up a fight. That is not my favorite…” With school coinciding with her “painting season”, Lauren finds she does get the time she wants to paint. She admits this would have been totally different had she dove head first into painting when her children were younger. “The little ones require so much more physical time, so much more of yourself. Before painting I was a blogger, which was the exact creative outlet I needed at the time.” This is a stellar reminder that as Mother Artist’s, our creativity and art making can evolve with the demands of the life we are living right now. Don’t get burnt out trying to do Great Big Beautiful Things right out the gate!

“I actually sell a lot of my work, which was sort of a surprise bonus.”

In summer, Lauren’s attention turns to gardening, which itself is more prescribed. But if you’re Lauren Knight, you can’t help but crank the personal aesthetic up to 11. “I don’t just think ‘I want to eat kale so let’s throw a row of kale down.’ I plant certain things knowing they will reach a certain height or based on their colors.” If you check out her Instagram, you will find snippets of all the hard work that goes into the very structure of curating her garden. Think hauling stones, moving earth, digging holes, doing things with wooden beams. I mean, we are talking HARD WORK! The reverence she has for slowing down and making her world beautiful is ever apparent and incredibly inspiring. Her boys fit in naturally to her gardening routine. They can be found tumbling on their trampoline (again, actual circus kids) or running around their kid-friendly neighborhood while Lauren tends to the garden. “It’s also something I can spend 20 minutes here and there working on. Painting requires a more critical time commitment. Gardening is more forgiving.” 

Thank you, Lauren Knight, for sharing your story on being a Mother Artist!

The Takeaways

-You DON’T need to go to art school to be an artist

-Good art isn’t just found on the coasts. It’s right here in the heart of the Midwest!

-Acrylics dry fast and are cost effective (start here, folks!)

-If you can, consider ditching fast fashion once in a while and invest in quality, intentional pieces of art you can wear! Check out Ace and Jig

-You can sell your work without being a certified, bona-fide, qualified any-fied professional artist

-Lauren is a Garden Composition Goddess. Follow her Instagram for something truly special!