Artist Spotlight: Harriet Lawless

Harriet Lawless grew up in a town close to Sydney but relocated to London in 2015 to build a career in architecture and explore the world. In 2021, she transitioned to being a professional artist and since then has been continuously traveling and creating art. Her original paintings are part of private collections in twelve countries, and commissioned works are displayed in five. Continue reading to learn more about her journey as an artist.

Where are you from and where do you currently reside?

I’m originally from a town near Sydney, Australia. I moved to London in 2015 and have been traveling full-time as a ‘digital nomad’ artist for the last 3 years.

What drew you to become an artist and what type of art do you most enjoy doing?

For me, being an artist isn’t really a choice, I think you either have something to say through art or you don’t. I did an architecture degree and worked in construction for 10 years but ultimately painting is the only thing I ever wanted to do. I most enjoy oil painting.

How would you describe your style?

I paint landscapes in a kind of ‘modern impressionist’ style. I focus on capturing the light and atmosphere of a scene and I’m inspired to emphasize color too. I’m still developing my style, of course, and sometimes I paint counter to it and, for example, my painting gets bogged down in detail. But, I think so much of an artist’s style is how they see and how they want to paint, not necessarily what they achieve on the canvas. It’s a lifetime-long struggle!

What has kept you engaged and committed to your craft over the years?

Knowing that I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else, so I’d better push through however I’m feeling and get on with it. There are some days when things aren’t going right and I don’t feel like painting, but I’ve come to realize that the only thing that makes me feel better in those situations is to pick up a paintbrush.

How have you grown as an artist in the past five years and what are the major contributing factors to your growth?

Five years ago I was a hobby artist using oil pastels. Since then I’ve become a full-time artist and have been honing my skills in oil painting. I see improvement in my paintings from just a few months ago, let alone years! I try to paint as much as possible and constantly strive to improve. There’s always something I don’t know.

What materials do you most commonly use?

Oil paints, paintbrushes and my easel. I prefer to paint on primed wood boards for the smooth texture, but also use canvas boards.

Can you describe some of your favorite pieces you’ve worked on?

My favorite piece so far is my painting of the Matterhorn mountain in Switzerland. It was a commissioned piece and was the largest painting I’ve done, at 100cm x 60cm. My client had a very specific idea of what she wanted for her painting, which was probably the most challenging part as communication became so vital to the success of the piece. And then, after a mammoth amount of time and effort going back and forth to make sure the painting was perfect and my client was happy… it got damaged in shipping. I ended up flying to Dubai for a week to fix it. For a while there I couldn’t even look at photos of this painting without wincing but now I’m extremely proud of it – proud of the quality of the final painting, and of how I learned from and managed a difficult situation!

Do you have any advice for up-and-coming artists? Are there any tips or techniques you can offer?

I think the best thing I did when I was working towards becoming a full-time artist, was setting myself the goal to paint three quick paintings a week. I would set a time limit of a few hours after work and paint a piece of fruit or the view out the window or the appliances on my kitchen counter – it didn’t matter. What mattered was consistency and commitment. Then, I’d identify what I was struggling with in my painting and I’d use YouTube to research solutions and try to implement what I’d learned on my next painting. The best way to improve is to paint as much as possible and deliberately practice with a conscious goal.