Laura Kupac

Grants Pass, OR

“As soon as I got home from the hospital one of the first things I tried was painting. I knew my drawing ability had been affected but I could not imagine never painting again so my style changed considerably. I stopped focusing on drawing and started to work with colors and textures. I would love to make this my career.”

Two aneurisms and a stroke changed the course of Laura Kupac’s life in 2013. She was forced to re-learn physical skills and use her non-dominant left arm to guide her through making art, the path she had always wanted to follow, describing her debilitating health issues as ”the universe showing me my true path”. Before these events, Laura had taken breaks from artwork to pursue jobs that would provide a more stable income. She reflects that whenever her path steered away from art, she was always redirected to her true passion by forces beyond her control.

Growing up amidst the vibrant landscape, flowers, and water across several cities in Brazil, she absorbed the colors and sights she found in the natural beauty around her. Now living in Southern Oregon, she is still enveloped in nature, trees, and beauty. She cites her father as a key inspiration recalling how he bought her a watercolor set behind her mother’s back when she was a young girl, supporting and fueling her creativity. Her dad worked in the aviation industry and her piece Bird’s Eye is an aerial-view abstract patchwork of the landscape she saw from the plane’s window, tying memories of family and place into her work. Other pieces are experimental like Poppies which emerged from playing around with paint on the canvas, unplanned and spontaneous. 

Due to her range of subject matter and perspectives, Laura evades a self-defining style. She doesn’t like sticking to one technique or structure, often working on multiple pieces at once in various styles and forms. “When I create I don’t feel anxiety and frustration, I feel I’m still contributing to society by producing something. It feels so good and I don’t want to have it interrupted.”

Since joining ArtLifting in 2016, Laura shares that ArtLifting has “given [her] life a whole new meaning and the motivation to keep on going.” The financial and emotional support she has received has allowed her to see dreams realized. Specifically, the ability to finally rent her own place where she is able to create without interruption and experiment in a space of her own. “Every time I get notified that an art piece has sold, I get tears in my eyes.”