Laura Jones, a Laurel, Mississippi-based artist, focuses her work on the idea that places matter. Growing up in downtown Laurel, she spent summers at art camp and weekends visiting the local museum, fostering a lifelong connection to art, according to her account.
Jones credits her early exposure to art through her teacher, Cassie Clark, and encounters with artists like Erin Napier and Christo in 2012 for shaping her creative path. She pursued a bachelor’s degree in graphic design at Mississippi State University but continued to paint regularly.
By spring 2020, Jones realized graphic design was not her future. The COVID-19 pandemic halted advertising work, but she turned to creating watercolor commissions for a local business. Within a year, she completed more than 300 watercolors, often depicting settings like churches and gardens that became her signature style.
Her work often involves personal stories. She has painted wedding-related scenes, family homes, and landmarks for clients, viewing her art as a way to preserve emotion and memories beyond architecture. She also created a collection inspired by the landscapes of the 2005 adaptation of “Pride & Prejudice,” capturing transitional spaces and estates that inform the story.
In 2023, Jones traveled abroad for the first time, attending a painting retreat on the Greek island of Andros with her college roommate, artist Ann Douglas. During the trip, she experimented with acrylic paints, shifting from her traditional watercolor style, and developed her Garden Collection, inspired by cultivated landscapes and nature patterns. The series was showcased at the Loyola Art Show in Alabama.
Despite recognition and exhibitions, Jones remains grounded in the uncertainties of a creative career. She balances her art with another profession and continues to explore new ideas, trusting the process. She describes her current phase as her “beginning era,” filled with new travels, exhibitions, and artistic directions, as she looks forward to what’s next.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
