Laurie Pace - Fine Artist

Painting in Process STAND TALL © Laurie Pace        Graphics One Design 2026 Oil on Canvas  SOLD   by Laurie Pace   When Are We Refining... and When Are We Explaining? Sometimes a painting teaches the artist more than the artist teaches the painting. This horse painting reached several "almost finished" moments over five days. Looking back at one earlier photograph, I realized I loved the freshness it still carried. There were always three horses in the composition. A friend couldn't quite see the quiet yellow horse because it blended into the blue horse beside it. That one observation stayed with me, and I found myself changing the painting instead of simply finishing it. Artists face this question more often than people realize: When are we refining... and when are we explaining? With fresh eyes, I realized the painting wasn't lost. It was reminding me to trust my own artistic voice and to recognize the moment when a pai...

The True Story of Playing for Papa © Laurie Pace        Graphics One Design 2026 Playing for Papa Oil on Canvas  SOLD   by Laurie Pace   Sometimes we don't recognize the threads that have been woven through our lives until years later. For me, music came long before painting. I grew up at the piano, later taught piano and guitar, and discovered that melodies have a way of staying with us long after the final note has faded. When I painted 'Playing for Papa', I thought I was creating a single painting. Looking back now, I realize I was uncovering something much deeper. Music wasn't simply part of my childhood—it quietly became part of the foundation beneath my art. That was me on the piano at a young age.  There is much more to the story on my website blog.  As I begin sharing more stories through Threads of Grace, I'm rediscovering how music, family, faith, and painting have always been woven together. Some paint...

Tiny Bubbles Everywhere..... © Laurie Pace        Graphics One Design 2026 Tiny Bubbles Oil on Canvas  SOLD   by Laurie Pace   Sometimes the paintings we almost paint become the ones that change everything. One summer, while my grandchildren were blowing bubbles across the backyard, I found myself painting a giant canvas filled with nothing but floating bubbles. I loved it. My galleries... not so much. They wanted horses. So, while the paint was still wet, I picked up my palette knife and let the painting lead the way. Those bubbles became horses. The painting sold within a week, but it also taught me something I've carried ever since: sometimes what feels like a detour is simply preparing us for the next chapter. Life has a way of doing that too. Read the full story and see the final horse painting on my website in the post.     Elle https://ellepace.com/blog-laurie-pace/bubbles-horses-726   Laurie Pac...

Brush Strokes of Life Finding My Own Song Again © Laurie Pace        Graphics One Design 2026 San Jacinto River Gathering Oil on Canvas  Commission  by Laurie Pace   This week I discovered something I didn't even know I had. While searching through old files, I came across a magazine article written about my artwork several years ago. As I read it, one sentence stopped me in my tracks. "It took three or four years of raw painting before finding my own song and my own work key." Those were my words. Somewhere over the years, I had forgotten them. At the same time, I had been looking through photographs of some of my old paintings, watching horses emerge from layers of thick paint, color, and discovery. I was reminded that I never painted the horse first. I painted with open trust. The horse revealed itself. It made me realize that perhaps I wasn't searching for a new direction after all. Perhaps I was simply finding my own song ...

Brush Strokes of Life © Laurie Pace        Graphics One Design 2026 Have you ever stood just inches away from a painting? Up close, all you see are individual brush strokes. Some are bright. Some are dark. Some seem completely out of place. Only when you step back does the picture begin to make sense. Life often feels that way. The image above is only a small section of one of my larger paintings. Looking closely, you'll find brilliant colors beside deep shadows. Every stroke matters. I believe our lives are painted much the same way. Each day adds another brush stroke. Some are filled with joy. Others are painted with grief, uncertainty, or waiting. While we're living those moments, we rarely understand why they are there. But God sees the entire canvas. Looking back over my own life, I can now see that the unexpected moments often became the ones that shaped me the most. As I begin sharing more stories in Brush Strokes of Life, I hope you'll dis...

My First Real Job Was at Neiman Marcus © Laurie Pace        Graphics One Design 2026 Threads of Grace 1969 Most people are surprised when I tell them my first real job was at Neiman Marcus, but the story actually began years earlier. At fourteen, I was modeling at the Dallas Apparel Mart during Market for a couture company from New York. Being a jazz dancer gave me confidence, posture, and the ability to quickly change outfits and return to the showroom floor. Without realizing it, I was learning professionalism at a very young age. (I worked markets for years to come.) When I turned sixteen, I applied for what I thought would be my first "real" job as a waitress. I didn't get it. I came home discouraged, wondering what had gone wrong. The next Sunday morning, while reading the want ads in the Dallas Morning News, one listing caught my attention. Neiman Marcus was looking for a clothing model for their advertising illustration department. I gathered my fashion sk...

There were Five © Laurie Pace        Graphics One Design 2026 Sketch  by Laurie Pace   Where My Thoughts Wander... Every morning begins with Scripture, prayer, and a new day waiting to unfold. Yet, like so many of us, I can find my thoughts drifting toward tomorrow's worries instead of today's blessings. This week, a conversation with friends and a passage from an old devotional reminded me that God's answers often arrive quietly—not when we chase them, but while we faithfully live the day He has already given us. Sometimes the greatest peace comes when we stop searching for all the answers and simply trust the next step. Join me in my Studio Stories as I reflect on faith, creativity, and the quiet ways God guides us through ordinary days. Read more on my website.    Faith and Creativity,    Christian Artist,  Studio Stories,  Artist's Journey,  Trusting God,  Finding Purpose,   Dail...