APRIL 2019 | COBB LIFE 13
series is named, “Dessert Still Life.”
“I went to Publix and piled a whole cart full of
stuff. I looked for the shapes and colors and looked
at the icing,” Shull explained of her process in
creating the “Sweets” collection. After buying the
pastries and desserts, she meticulously arranged
them and painted the still life models before her.
“The Party” is another surprising, centurycrossing
piece, which showcases a young lady at an
18th century party. Behind her are the lavish
abundances of the time: the silky draperies, the
spilled glass of wine and the decadent desserts. But
creating relevance to modern times, Shull has
depicted the young lady scrolling on her phone.
“I like the idea of a girl from that period at a
party and she’s bored. Today, we just scroll through
our phone. But it’s contrasted with that time
period,” she explained.
For Laura, setting the scene of her paintings is
an enjoyable part of the painting process. The
process starts with an idea fl ating around in her
head before she sketches the idea. After a rough
sketch, she moves on to gathering reference
material or props.
“I like to look at the actual thing to make the
painting feel realistic, as realistic as I can,” she said.