{"id":2695,"date":"2017-03-20T14:50:18","date_gmt":"2017-03-20T19:50:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aberdeenmag.com\/?p=2695"},"modified":"2021-02-12T09:50:42","modified_gmt":"2021-02-12T15:50:42","slug":"lauren-pretorius","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aberdeenmag.com\/2017\/03\/lauren-pretorius\/","title":{"rendered":"The Whimsical Wild"},"content":{"rendered":"
As an adult, that passion is still very much alive, and remains the central theme of her artwork today. Lauren\u2019s photography and still-life paintings provide an up-close-and-personal look at the larger-than-life world of the wild as well as portray the simple joys she finds in every day life.<\/p>\n
Although Lauren has been drawing since she was very young, it took her quite a bit of time to realize that art was the path she wanted to pursue. Right after high school, she studied pre-med at Presentation College for two years. While she was there, however, she quickly realized it was not the right path for her, and decided instead to take a semester off to regroup. During this time, she began painting and selling her artwork, and before long, she realized this was what she wanted to spend her life doing. So she transferred to NSU, became an art major, and hasn\u2019t stopped creating since.<\/p>\n
When painting, Lauren works exclusively in oil and aspires to make everyday objects come to life in a unique, interesting way. \u201cI try to be quirky and fun with it,\u201d Lauren said. \u201cInstead of painting just an orange, for example, I\u2019ll paint it with the peel smiling out, just to make it look different.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saturdays are Lauren\u2019s painting days. It starts with a trip to Kessler\u2019s or an antique shop in Bristol, where she hunts for various objects for still life paintings. These can range from food to antique objects, such as old teapots, that catch her eye. Once she has her subject matter, she prepares a hot cup of coffee as her inspirational fuel, sets the objects up in a unique way, and alters the lighting.<\/p>\n
Photography, on the other hand, is a much different story. Lauren primarily shoots wildlife and the outdoors, making the process much more unpredictable. \u201cI don\u2019t really care for family pictures and things like that. I like taking pictures of things as they happen naturally.\u201d With her 12-pound Nikon d800 camera and 600mm f4 lens in tow, Lauren is able to get up close and personal with all the wonders of the wild.<\/p>\n