Laura finds the gallop and chomp of polo ponies irresistible to paint. Her light and instinctive style lends itself perfectly to live, en plein air paints, capturing the spirit and motion on the turf beside the boards like no other.

Taking in a lifetime of gentle, quiet, dusky silhouettes; vibrant, seasonal carnivals of life; broad, wide simple panoramics; and many varied land types in between, have all been etched and their palettes nestled into Douglas' heart. She draws upon this all when landscape painting, often option for en plein air painting.

Laura hand painted more than 40 metres of silks and linens for a joint fashion and art exhibition in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley, culminating with the painted gowns sashaying the MBFF runway.

A collection of 14 horse works showcased in Myer Melbourne over the 2014 Spring Racing season. This was Laura's fourth collection for Myer Melbourne.

Inspired by the gallop felt in Laura's heart during spring, her travels across the Strezlecki and Simpson Deserts, and live-painting track work. 

Traveling into Australia's centre; roving through the Strzelecki and Simpson Deserts; sleeping under stars and wearing a constant coat of powdery dust; seeing the surface dry desolation yet feeling the incredible abundance of life within it, Douglas was so incredibly inspired by the adaptation of flora from inland sea to inland salt pan, from under water to devoid of water, and the succulent plant life which so resembles corals and an underwater forest, now a desert; she created this collection of works in response.

The works hung at OnStone in South Melbourne, October-November 2014.

From the artist:

“I cant believe the space. The beauty. The quiet. We live in so much space, surrounded by land—but this is so different. Its like we can see the life around us. Out here its even more subtle. Out here, its even more quiet. So I sit and listen and quiet myself and feel. I meditate and feel the flow of life out here.  Its beautiful. Like a depth of beauty that comes from the hardship—no loss no gain whirls again.”
“I see there are worlds, so many little worlds celebrating even the thinnest signs of refuge from the elements—to them, an oasis.
I will paint these worlds. These once sea plants who now live with salt but no water. They are the ultimate survivors, and I celebrate them too.
I see much beauty here, and will retell what I see.”