Bio
Laura L LePere
Laura took to art early. Classes beginning in grade school led to a regional Scholastic Art Award in her senior year of high school. In college, her artwork was published on the cover of the anthropology department journal and in a professor's book.
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Studying archaeology and geology took her outdoors a great deal and gave her a deep appreciation of the natural world in and of itself and as the context of human life. She loves to travel and, after college, spent nearly 10 years living overseas where she was immersed in other cultures. Always fond of animals, in recent years she has become a birder—developing a deeper awareness of birds’ variety, behaviors, and habitats.
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With these varied experiences, it is no surprise that Laura has worked with many creative media. Her professional background includes 8 years drawing maps by hand and 16 years as a website designer. Creativity for fun has included many types of textile arts as well as jewelry design and mosaics.
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In 2008, she was introduced to polymer clay and it became a favorite medium. More recently, she studied traditional 2-D art media while pursuing a Certification in Nature Art, which she received in early 2019, from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute. Her most recent work usually combines polymer clay with other media on board, creating low-relief wall pieces.
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Laura is a member of the Southern Arizona Arts Guild, the Tucson Polymer Clay Guild, and the International Polymer Clay Association (IPCA). In 2022, she won 1st place in the 2-D category of the IPCA's 2nd Annual Global Exhibit. Her work has been exhibited in solo, juried, and invitational shows at diverse venues across southern Arizona and as far afield as Berlin, Germany. She is most honored to have a piece in the permanent collection of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.