What are you working on right now?

Any advice for young artists?

Do you have a favorite place to work?

I am working on a series of prints using images from Palm Springs, CA circa 1950’s. I love the regions mid-century architecture as well as the fashion, design and lifestyle. The light and the terrain of the desert are so stunning. Being a Southern California girl, I like the graphic quality of palm trees and cactus. I just completed the first of that series using bathing girls diving into pools with bold graphics and colors. This series has captured my heart. I can’t stop creating.

This entry was posted in What's New on July 15, 2015.

I can answer that question in 2 ways. I work all the time. My visual mind never turns off. The world is my canvas. I am always taking photographs and collecting images. I do my physical work at a printmaking studio in Santa Monica, CA where I create mono prints. I do most of my paintings and collage work over the prints at a home studio.

If you feel you want to be an artist, just start and make art. The more work you do, the more you will discover your own voice. Just follow your own instincts and believe in yourself. You will always have someone who does not like or understand what you are doing. It does not matter. If you are an artist, you have to make art. It is your calling. It is a blessing to be an artist. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have a studio. You can work anywhere.

Can you describe your own style in three words?

Whimsical, Graphic, Colorful

There are a lot of female references in your work. What is your inspiration?

I love women from the 1940’s through the 1960’s. They had so much style, innocence, charm and spunk. I am inspired by Hollywood actresses of that period as well as the style of my mother growing up. I started collecting old Life and Vogue magazines about 30 years ago from that period. I did not know why at the time, but I use images from those magazines all the time in my work today. I am especially drawn to the women in the advertisements. It is interesting how women were portrayed. I find the ads very funny. I use many of these retro images in my work and I try to pay homage to these women. I try never to make fun of the women, but I use the images in a whimsical way as a tribute.

The Saturday Night A-Line Dress (left) and The Saturday Night 2-Piece Dress (right)

How was it working with Art on Fashion?

How did you start and when did you decide to make art your way of life?

Everyone I have had contact with at Art On Fashion as been a delight. I love the concept of artists work on fashion. I always dreamed of having my own work on fabric and am honored that my work was chosen to be on dresses. It is a perfect marriage.

Invest in a work of art for your wardrobe

Actually, I believe art chooses us, we don’t choose it. I always wanted to be an artist. I started taking classes as a child and was taken by my parents to local museums. As a teenager, I set up a small studio in my house as well as a dark room for my photography. When I was in High School, there was a large Bauhaus retrospective in Los Angeles. That show absolutely changed my life. I saw the Bauhaus as a place where students could be totally creative in many areas. I would have loved to have been a student there. It was at the same time that California Institute of the Arts opened its doors. I entered Cal Arts studying graphic design, printmaking and photography. I also studied music, dance and was introduced to the great artists of the 20th Century. Upon graduation, I got a job as a graphic designer and have been working in the visual arts ever since

Our Interview with Laurie Raskin

Here at Art on Fashion we love the artists we collaborate with and want to know more about them. Laurie Raskin is no exception, the artist behind the ‘Saturday Night’ series from our Spring Summer 2015 collection. We interviewed her to find out about her influences and how she got to where she is now.