Gosh darn it, people like me

Laura George makes us feel oh so nice

By Jolene Torr
Published: August 7th, 2009 | 12:00am

“You’re doing everything right,” affirms a little cloud-bodied creature seated on a tree stump. “You are beautiful,” says another spritish figure from her post among the petals. These sugary happy-go-luckies are the subjects of artist Laura George’s ink drawings and paintings, all aglow and fizzy-pop bubbly.

It’s tough to not adore George, with her mega positive outlook and paintings of cutesy soft-bellied beasts. Often painting dreamy little wonderlands with earth and chaparral colors, the Chicago artist’s hazy, warm worlds inspire and praise their viewer.

Currently exhibiting at Candystore in San Francisco, George first made a stop at the Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco’s Fort Mason.

How did you get involved with Renegade?
I'd been going to Renegade for years as a buyer and always loved the experience. I did a small show called the Indie Arts Market in Chicago last May and decided to apply for the holiday Renegade show after that; I had a lot of fun and wanted to have more fun. I can't say enough good things about Renegade. It's so well-planned and enjoyable.

Storytelling is a big part of your work, and a lot of your pieces involve two characters, journeying together or interacting with the land; what’s the story here?
The work I did for my last show was inspired a lot by a crazy desert road trip I took recently with a dear friend. I suppose maybe those paintings are telling the story of our trip and focusing on bits of our relationship, in a sense, though there are a lot of fantastical elements too.

Besides the fantastical, what else are you influenced by? I see a lot of modern cartoon art in your work.
I think I'm definitely influenced by Asian pop art and the kind of mod illustration style that was popular in the ‘60s. I feel influenced and inspired by just about everything. It all kind of blends together and seeps in naturally.

Where do you think a lot of it comes from?
It comes from everywhere. I know I definitely get a lot of ideas from my dreams and from my thoughts just before I fall asleep or when I'm driving by myself. I try to jot all of these little things down in notebooks so I can remember them.

It seems pretty spontaneous. Is there any structure to your day when you work on a new piece?
I'd say my days are largely unstructured... as unstructured as possible. I usually work for 8-12 hours straight. I drink tea when I'm working, and I’m on a green rice tea kick right now. Sometimes I listen to music; sometimes I like it silent. I definitely spend a lot of time alone. Maybe too much.

Your work is super-positive, with motivational commands like, “If the sky falls, hold your hands up.” Where do these sayings come from?
That particular saying is actually a Spanish proverb that I love and have thought of often over the past few years. It's a strengthening little mantra, I think. Other sayings in my illustrations I just make up, mostly things I'm telling myself I suppose. Things that we all need to hear sometimes.