LAURA CALLAGHAN
I'm fangirling so hard about Laura Callaghan dear readers. All my fellow ladies out there, Laura is completely 100% your gal. SHE IS AMAZING. I've been wanting to write about Laura and show you all her fabulous artwork, for what feels like a million trillion years now. I don't know why it's taken me so long. Every time her artwork comes up on Instagram it literally makes my day. If I'm already feeling good, it makes me feel even better about life. If I'm feeling a bit mopey and sorry for myself, it motivates me to turn the sass switch back on and smile. Laura's work is predominantly female focused, with strong feminine themes and clever social and sometimes political commentaries running throughout. I love how Laura focuses so heavily on studying and depicting female culture, and most of all, how she always gets it so right. As a young woman myself, every time I see a piece of Laura's I instantly identify with so many aspects of it. Her pieces are so honest and truly representative of today's young women. One day in the distant future I hope to see Laura's work in the National Portrait Gallery, cited as a perfect snapshot of the early 21st woman for future populations to study and admire. That would be super cool.
Laura is an Irish illustrator, formerly illustration editor of independent magazine Oh Comely (she just gets cooler and cooler dear readers), and she now lives in London, freelancing for a wide variety of clients including MTV, Nylon, Urban Outfitters, Motel Rocks and The Sunday Telegraph. Her work is bright, colourful, vibrant, intricate and intriguing, and it cleverly creates a beautiful and interesting commentary on daily life. We see these fierce, gorgeous, fabulous women depicted in all kinds of weird and wonderful scenarios, with Laura often exposing their various strengths, vulnerabilities and hidden personality traits. Her work may in theory be 2D, but I personally find the content to be so 3D and full of depth. The tools of Laura's trade are typically watercolour, Indian ink, Isograph pens and Photoshop, all expertly combined to convey her unique graphic style. I'm so, so glad I discovered Laura's work because as a young woman in this modern age, there's so many pressures that seem to slot together in an unrealistic and unachievable push-pull format. It feels like society wants you to be all these different kinds of things, and there's that overwhelming feeling that you need to be perfect and have all your shit together. We want and need to be Carrie Bradshaw's, when in reality 99.9% of us are still doing a Bridget Jones and wondering when the magic transformation will happen.
I know it sounds naff, but Laura's work makes me feel like actually, I'm not doing so bad. It's ok if I feel lost or insecure or afraid. It's ok to revert back to childhood sometimes, and stay in touch with that inner child. It's ok to love yourself and celebrate those times when you feel confident in yourself. It's ok to be strong and fierce. It's ok to be yourself, and express that in whatever way feels right to you. Obviously being a colour and pattern and illustration junkie means I'm instantly drawn to Laura's artwork like a moth to a flame, but it's what lies below the surface and how I connect to it, that makes me love Laura's work most of all. And if that's not a sign of a damn good artist, then I don't really know what is. So dear readers, take a peek for yourself and let the epic fangirling commence.
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GALZ/ GALZ/ GALZ
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