Laura Green is a San Diego-based painter whose vibrant acrylic works explore California wilderness through the lens of motherhood and outdoor adventure. She holds a BA in Fine Arts from UC Santa Cruz, a Post-Baccalaureate in Studio Arts from UC Berkeley Extension (with Distinction), and a Certificate in Art and Creative Process from UCSD Extension.
Green's work has earned recognition in juried exhibitions nationwide, including First Place at Yosemite Renaissance 40 (2025), and inclusion in group exhibits at venues including Oceanside Museum of Art, Turtle Bay Exploration Park, Yellowstone Art Museum, and California Art League. Her public art installations appear throughout Southern California, including a permanent commission for UCI Medical Center, and temporary exhibit projects with the City of Glendale, and multiple San Diego County library branches.
Green is a resident artist at The Studio Door in San Diego's Hillcrest neighborhood and is represented by Cobalt Gallery in South Park. Her work has been featured in the San Diego Union-Tribune and Imperial Beach News. She paints full-time while raising four children who regularly appear as subjects in her landscape compositions.
Statement
I paint both intimate and monumental composite California landscapes. I layer saturated oranges, dense greens, and violet shadows to reflect the sunset colors and evoke nostalgia for a time that is ending. Bold, visible brushstrokes mirror the energy of kids moving through wilderness—restless, urgent, alive.
I construct impossible vistas: desert Joshua trees against coastal chaparral, alpine meadows bleeding into woodlands. These are landscapes from my memory which is experienced through constant interruption—scraped knees, sunscreen breaks, and endless snack negotiations. The fragmented attention that defines motherhood extends to my studio. I create artwork at home while homeschooling my children. After our outdoor excursions, I begin with a specific memory of a place, and through layering of landscapes and figures I construct a composition.
I create wildlife work from smaller sizes of 5x7" to 20x24". My landscape work is 20x24" to 36x48." Each piece creates a physical presence matching the emotional intensity of introducing children to wild places. These paintings don't document specific locations—they capture the heightened, almost hallucinatory experience of seeing wilderness through a child's wonder while also managing their safety. They're about the beautiful impossibility of being fully present in nature while being responsible for small humans as they grow up.