Laura McKenzie

bio

Laura McKenzie is a nomadic artist specializing in mixed media paintings and assemblage. Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Laura has called three continents home and speaks four languages with varying degrees of proficiency. She currently lives and works in Miami, Florida. Laura’s passion for the arts began at an early age, and she won acclaim and awards for her work in theater and visual arts throughout her high school and university career.  She studied studio art and history of art at Michigan State University. During her undergraduate career, Laura had the unusual distinction of being awarded two Dean’s Medals of Honor from the College of Arts and Letters. One was an award for the Outstanding Student in Italian and the other for winning the Geraldine Potchen Award for Studio Art. Laura earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History of Art in 2000.

Laura’s love for travel and Italian Renaissance art led her to a new journey of living abroad and studying linguistics. Laura lived in Italy and traveled throughout Europe before returning to Michigan State University to study linguistics. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Applied Spanish Linguistics in 2004, at which point she moved to North Carolina to teach Spanish at Coastal Carolina Community College. There, she met her husband and also fell in love with the ocean. Laura and her family are fortunate to have lived in many beautiful locations around the world. Along the way, she transitioned to a new freelance writing and editing career in the English Language Teaching (ELT) field. Working with clients such as Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press, she has helped write and edit ELT books, apps, and web-based programs in use throughout the world.

Laura is thrilled to be entering a new phase in her life, working as a professional artist. Her abstract paintings convey the joy and peace of being immersed in nature, especially the ocean. Living near the ocean in places such as Japan and Hawaii, Laura saw firsthand the devastating effects that humans, particularly plastic pollution, have had on our natural environment. Laura’s assemblage works speak to this crisis and to the hope that humankind will choose to make positive changes in the future. She proudly donates 1% of every purchase on her website to combat carbon dioxide from our atmosphere. She also regularly donates to trusted conservation organizations.