Oct 25

Oct 25 Ask an Artist: Interview with Laura Boswell ARE

Season 6, Episode 18: Interview with Laura Boswell

Tom and Peter are delighted to welcome back, podcast founder, Laura Boswell. Together with Peter, Laura founded this very podcast and recorded over 100 episodes. In 2022, she and her husband, "The Talented Mr B", made the decision to move from their home in Buckinghamshire, to Scotland.

In this episode, Peter and Tom catch up with Laura, find out how her work and business have developed and discuss what it has been like to effectively start again in a new area. In the first part of the episode, Laura introduces us to the town of Kirkudbright; the lively, artistic town in Dumfries and Galloway which she now calls home and the beautiful local landscape which surrounds it.

Laura explains how planning and organisation were key when it came to physically moving. In addition, calling upon the services of specialist movers and the help and guidance of friends and fellow Artists, who knew the area. Laura talks us through her new business set up, which involves part of her home now also being her teaching and gallery space, and how becoming involved in the vibrant, local, artistic community has been vital in getting established somewhere new.

After the break, Laura talks about how it pays to be realistic about a big move; think about the logistics of getting work to different places and do your research on the area you plan to move to. Knowing how she best teaches and knowing her customer base really well has also helped Laura shift to a new model of teaching, which is working really well for her.

Peter and Tom ask Laura how she thinks her work has developed since moving and they discuss the wealth (sometimes overwhelmingly so) of visual inspiration which she now has on her doorstep. Being close to the landscapes she finds so endlessly beguiling, has meant she is able to spend more time observing, sketching and just “being” within them, almost like a residency. In her own words, her work now has a deeper connection with light and time.

To conclude, Laura discusses the new challenges and projects she has in the pipeline.

This week’s takeaway…if you are planning to move to a new area, be realistic about the stresses involved and the time it will take, not just to move, but to re-establish your business. Be organised and make connections but also accept that you cannot predict or know everything, so there will always be an element of taking a leap of faith.

To find out more about Laura, and see her latest work, click here.

Images: Courtesy of Laura Boswell. From top left to bottom right: Mr B building the new studio, Laura packing up prints in the new gallery, Out sketching on the Solway Firth, a class of Canadian mothers and daughters.