Laurel Burch

Laurel Burch Liscensed Products

Laurel was a self-taught painter.  She saw herself as a folk artist, telling stories.  "In our fast-paced changing world," she said, "we need symbols that are a reminder of the ongoing world of the spirit."  On some level, her work was always about bringing different cultures together, and about our connection with the earth and all living things, ideas that have only increased in relevance today.  Laurel was born with the rare bone disease osteopetrosis which would cause her long periods of convalescence.  Even when she was forced to paint from a bed or wheelchair, she seldom put her brushes down.  Laurel said, "I refuse to have anything in my life that I can't turn around into something magical and beautiful."

Her art will forever convey a sense of joy, passion and lightness.  There is an inner strength in her figures, with their bold lines and sinuous curves, and something irrepressible in the explosion of her colors.  Laurel died in 2007.  She leaves behind a heritage of brightly colored images that are known worldwide - fanciful cats, horses, birds, blossoms and undersea creatures that continue to be sold around the world to this day.