Fleurish Artist Series - Carmela Designs
We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Lauren, the artist behind Carmela Designs. We have been admiring her work for quite a while, and the crazy world of instagram brought us together. Lauren recently launched her print shop and oh my goodness everything in there is just so beautiful! We were so excited to be able to use a few of her prints in a recent project and seeing the prints in person just had us floored. A screen just doesn’t do it justice. And after speaking with Lauren about her inspiration and process as an artist, we feel like we have a deeper connection with both her and her work, and love it all even more (if that’s even possible)! Here’s what she had to say below:
Our full Q + A session with Lauren from Carmela Designs:
Fleurish: Tell us about you, what you do, and the art you make. We want to hear all about it!
Lauren: I was born and raised in San Diego, CA and consider myself to have been a creative kid throughout my childhood. I always enjoyed drawing, painting, making presentation boards for school projects, and took art as an elective whenever I could. When considering what I wanted to major in college, my parents gently nudged me away from being an Art Major to do something more technical, such as Architecture. I eventually decided to pursue Interior Design and attended Miami University of Ohio. After four years of winter, I moved back to San Diego to continue my career as a Commercial Interior Designer. I soon learned that my desk job at an Architecture and Interior Design firm wasn't as creatively fulfilling as I hoped. So evenings and weekends, I found myself filling my sketchbook and exploring different mediums, mostly color pencil, watercolor, and gouache. I soon found myself torn between my love of design and art. I felt that I had to separate them into two different worlds, give up one to pursue the other, but when in reality they go hand in hand. With the shift in the work environment options during Covid, I decided to change jobs to a Portland Based Interior Design Firm that offered remote working positions. My current firm also values how art and design go hand and hand, and have been very supportive of my growth as a designer and an artist. In 2022, I wanted to take my art to the next level, so I continued experimenting and developing my artist voice and style. A majority of my current work is with Acrylic on Canvas and Paper, but I still use color pencil and gouache as part of my process. After leaning into this self exploration, I decided it was time to start sharing my work more by showing up in my community. In 2023, I participated in a handful of online galleries, group shows, and my first art walk. During those two years, I developed my confidence as an artist. But there have been growing pains, in order to keep up the demand of my full time job, and spending all my free time creating art, even though I loved it, I knew burnout was on the horizon. So I knew it was time to make a choice in my art and design world to be able to balance both passions. Today, I currently work part time in my design role to allow more time in the week for my artwork, and I am extremely grateful for this set up. When people ask me what I do, I can easily answer that I am an Artist and Designer.
Fleurish: How did you get started as an artist? What drew you to your specific medium?
Lauren: I specifically started painting with acrylic when my mom sent me to Art Camp at the San Diego Museum of Modern Art in elementary school where I learned about color theory, and specifically Impressionism style painting. And I loved it, painting felt very natural to me. I unfortunately lost touch with painting in college until I had this urge to learn calligraphy. But with being left handed, my calligraphy career did not pan out, I even tried learning how to write right handed. This eventually led me back to using paint brushes and watercolor to learn hand lettering, and before I knew it, painting entered my life again. I have gone through a lot of different creative phases during those weeknights and weekends looking for a creative outlet from my desk job. There was stationery design, wedding invitations, digital artwork, surface pattern design, illustration, and eventually I came to landscape paintings. A lot of 2022 was spent with gouache and handmade paper making landscape after landscape. I even got a public commission from the landscapes I was sharing on Instagram, which led me to picking up Acrylics again. Then in 2023, I decided to challenge myself by not painting a single landscape. I loved this for myself because it brought me to exploring a new world of still life which has had a major impact on my artist voice.
Fleurish: What is the main inspiration behind your work? What shaped your style as an artist?
Lauren: Finding my unique artist voice was something I struggled with. When starting out, it is very easy to be influenced by what other successful artists are doing. It took me some time to realize doing work that looked like theirs wasn't serving me. I had to take the time to learn my own voice and style. I began to form a connection between my personal style and my artist style. I recognized that I am not a person drawn to bright or vibrant styles. I prefer simplicity and elements that remind me of nature. As an individual and designer, I also prefer timelessness and that is an aesthetic that I try to embody in my artwork. When I am creating new work, I pull inspiration from what has been inspiring me everyday through my personal life. I started using film when traveling to capture places that I find beautiful. Because there are a limited number of shots in a roll of film, it forces me to think through the composition of a shot a bit more. I also do this mental exercise when I am out and about where when I notice something that catches my eye like a tree or flower, I will practice how I would paint it in my head. I will make eyes unfocus so I can see the values, I will think through the colors I would mix together, and the brush style I might use. I feel like I am sharpening my eye with exercises like this. And all of these are adding to my internal well of inspiration to pull from when painting. When creating my work, I try to create moments of quiet, slowness, and connection for the viewer, and I try to feel those things when creating them.
Fleurish: What do you love most about what you do?
Lauren: Painting has been something I have never felt discouraged by when doing it. When I am in the flow, I don't have any negative thoughts or fears. I used to think that is how everyone felt when they paint, but have learned that this freedom is a gift and not everyone has the same feelings. So I am grateful to have this connection in my life, it brings a lot of value to myself and my self worth. I also love when someone connects to my art. Seeing the value my painting brings to their lives is extremely rewarding.
Fleurish: Do you ever feel blocked? If so, what do you do to get over that?
Lauren: I don't necessarily feel blocked, but I do have periods where my creativity slows and I don't always want to paint. I recently read the Artist Way by Julia Cameron (which I highly recommend to any creative to read) and I have a deeper understanding that these slow periods are a form of fear. And I tend to use "busyness" or "laziness" as a way to avoid the fear. I am queen of making to-do lists and finding other things to do before I feel like I have the mental space to create, and usually by the time I finish all the things on my to-do list, I am too tired and resort to laziness. But I am glad I now recognize this pattern. One thing I have started incorporating into my process is blocking out creative time on weekend mornings to just play with art supplies - there are no expectations or agenda, and it has been really good for me to get past fears.
Fleurish: How would you describe your interior style? Or what interior style(s) do you see complimenting your work well?
Lauren: I am all for classic, simple, and timeless interior elements being incorporated into modern design. In my own home, I love to use materials that come from natural elements like wood, marble, and natural fibers. I feel like my artwork works well in spaces that embody similar characteristics. I want my art to provide an opportunity for visual quiet moments and a gentle reminder to slow down in a space
Fleurish: Are there any artists you look up to and admire?
Lauren: Oh there are so many. I love Josh Young's work and style. He has helped me with seeing how a career in art and design go together. I enjoy everything Carolyn Misterek paints. Her artwork reminds of the importance of simplicity. And CJ Hendry, not only is her work mind blowing, she believes in not letting people's opinion of your work stop you from creating, and I think it is a really important message to all creatives.
Fleurish: Is there a new style of art or medium that you haven't explored yet that you would love to learn someday?
Lauren: I would really love to try painting on ceramics. And I still have this desire to create artwork that could be printed on to textiles.
Fleurish: If you could give your younger self any advice, what would it be?
Lauren: I think advice I would give my younger self would be to know that my art and creativity has a purpose and that it brings value to the world. And to know that it is possible to make a career as an artist.
Fleurish: Where is the best place for people to learn more about you or buy your art?
Lauren: Instagram is always a good place to see what I am working on and sharing, but on my website you will find all my current available originals for purchase, along with my print shop. You are also welcome to sign up for my newsletter to learn about when I am releasing new art and prints.
We are so grateful to Lauren for sitting down with us for our very first Artist Series! She radiates a calming energy that also comes through her art, and we realize now that it’s this exact reason we feel so drawn to it. We just love her thoughts on art and design, and to keep on creating no matter what, but most importantly, to slow it all down and savor every moment.
