Laura Green is a San Diego-based painter whose acrylic works explore 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 composite landscapes inspired by family adventures in nature. As a young adult, I traveled thousands of miles by self-supported bicycle, crossing the United States, Europe and New Zealand on my own, where grueling mountain ascents and relentless wind and rain forged my resilience and determination. Today, as mother homeschooling four kids, I share that passion for outdoor adventure with them through family road trips filled with camping, hiking and wildlife observation.
My landscapes are not plein air paintings, but rather emerge from the organized chaos of family life. In my studio, I translate photographs and memories from our excursions in my studio into vibrant acrylic works. I start with a specific place, such as Joshua Tree or the Oregon coast, or a wildlife encounter with a bird or coyote. Then through aggressive layering, I build compositions that are alive with saturated yellows and oranges for desert light, dense greens of coastal forests, and violet shadows of high altitude. Bold, visible brushstrokes echo the excitement and energy of children in the wild— urgent, alive and full of wonder.
From small affordable sizes of 5x7” to 36x48,” my work creates a physical presence matching the emotional intensity of introducing children to wild places- exhausting, exhilarating and overwhelming. These paintings don't document specific locations; instead, they capture the heightened, almost hallucinatory experience of seeing the wilderness through their eyes. My art practice has allowed me to reclaim my own sense of self while turning fleeting moments with my children into lasting memories of connection.