Laura Kautovaara is a self-taught artist and music enthusiast from Helsinki. She paints in Puotila, Helsinki.

Kautovaara describes her exhibition Queens: " In these past few years I have been interested in painting portraits of those people who have been the trailblazers of their time. People who were thinking outside the box. Queens is a collection of portraits of people who have inspired me in my own life. It continues the work I presented in the exhibition Perfect Strangers in 2020. "
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When painting faces, I am especially interested in the stories that the faces tell. Facial expressions can convey different messages and meanings. Portraits of famous artists are a tribute to the persons in the portrait. With my paintings I aim to tell the message that the stories of those people live on. For these works I have carefully studied documents, photographs and books that were available on each of the subjects. I try and capture a certain kind of spirit. I am also inspired by music and I hear music visually, I could even say that while painting I hear what I paint. The lyrics and notes activate memories and feeling which help me capture the feeling in the paintings.
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I paint mostly with acrylic paints and mixed media. I use the palette knife in my paintings as textures inspire me.

Work above: Aretha Franklin, acrylic, 2022

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