Laurie Rumery started working in leaded glass over 30 years ago when she took her first stained glass class at Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois, and a love affair with the amazing medium of glass began.  Although Laurie received her B.A. degree in music from UCLA, she has gone on to study glassblowing at the studios of the University of Illinois, Hands On Glass in Corning, New York, and Centro Studio Vetro in Venice, Italy; pate de verre techniques at Urban Glass in Brooklyn, New York and Bullseye Glass in Portland, Oregon; glass bead making with Kristina Logan and various regional workshops on fusing and torchwork in Central Illinois. After having been the co-owner of a glass blowing studio and one of its resident artists in Monticello, Illinois, Laurie is currently on a hiatus from glass work.  Artistically inquisitive, Laurie has studied the art of watercolor with Donald K. Lake, again at Parkland College, and has recently developed a new interest and passion for acrylic fluid art, also known as "paint pouring". Following are examples of Laurie's past and current work.  She is available for commissions in watercolor and fluid art.

 I love the exploration of differing art mediums. My lifelong pursuit of fine crafts has led me on a journey through glass, paint, clay, fabric and music. Recently, in the pursuit of bringing more freedom and spontaneity to my watercolor paintings, I began the exploration of acrylic fluid art. In this form of painting, the artist and the paint collaborate in the outcome.  It's not so much "what does this look like", but "how does this make me feel" . In this way, it is very much like working with glass, where the end result is not always where the artist set out to go.

I read a statement attributed to an anonymous artist once that resonated with me: "Creativity is a willingness to make mistakes; the Art is in knowing which ones to keep." I try to let myself be free from the fear of making mistakes and see where happy accidents can take me.