Sobre el Artista

About the Artist. Welcome to the magical nature inspired creative world of Laurie Rohner, the artist behind Between the Weeds, also part of Laurie Rohner Studio or LRStudio for short. How I got to this place in time let me start with: I sold my flower shop not by choice but due to a finger allergy I had developed from the chemicals used in the industry. So I unpacked my brushes and bought a Delta Unisaw and started on a new career. My Delta 16? band saw was given to me from Dad and it was the last thing he did before we lost him to dementia. After Dad passed I felt my adventurous side kick in to explore and live in a new place. Vermont was a beautiful fit. Mom had developed debilitating RA so she decided to come along on this new adventure and what a blast. I think fairies are in abundance in Vermont. I opened a gallery and studio shop called Whitefield and Mom ran the shop. Not many people would shake up their worlds at 78 young but she could not have been happier. It had been a long battle caring for Dad. The stress caregivers have to endure is tremendous and I felt it was a blessing seeing her so content. But for myself owning a place in the mountains, living close to nature and opening Whitefield’s was absolute joy. This would be short-lived; a few years later I sold Whitefield to care for my mother who suddenly developed a rare form of cancer. There are energies that surround you helping you live with purpose and can heal you. It is important you are in a place that comforts you and re-energizes your very being. When I left Vermont, I left my purpose, my joy, the healing energy from nature behind and my life has never been the same. I am not saying my Mom would have survived but she would have been more at peace in Vermont. What I have endured would have still manifested in my life in some way. I think it would have been easier to endure. She honored me by sharing her life and wisdom. I am grateful that I cared for such a beautiful soul and wonderful friend at the end of her life. I have worked 30 plus years as a designer, painter and creative artist. I was a head floral designer later buying the shop for 10 years. Forever learning and exploring different aspects of creating I found furniture design exhilarating and through my Dad learned how to design and build my furniture. Drawn to painted furniture and decorative painting I found the work of Anne Sloane and the wonderful pieces by MacKenzie-Childs truly inspirational. Nature has always spoken to me. Through long walks in the woods, planting a cottage garden or sitting meditating under a tree, the whispers of the natural world speak to me. My best memories are my walks with my Mom and the dogs in the woods. We never knew what we would discover, maybe an undiscovered single wild Lady’s Slipper under a hemlock tree which to our delight happened early one spring morning. For the next several years I traveled many roads and learned so much about this human experience. Honestly it is nature that has brought me back to discovering the me inside. I live in a world filled with fairies and sprites and creature unseen, of ancestors of yesterday’s and of tomorrow’s, and my guide, Benjamin. Between the Weeds: LRStudio has renewed my relationship with nature. Through the subtle nudging from the fairies and the universe I started to see what I could create with the branches and mosses I found all around me. Stories would form as I created the houses and I would be drawn into the magic of the creation. There is a synergy between nature and me. This feeling is the same feeling you would get when you view a sunset or a double rainbow. It is an electric subtle energy that fills you and you are at peace.I am extremely grateful to be able to create these magical Woodland Fairy Houses. I think they are very special indeed. And then there is painted furniture. Farmhouse, cottage, primitive country-style and I can paint it, wow. It was my Dad who taught me how to work with tools, woodworking and finishes. Later I developed a technique for my finishes and faux painting combining the old world methods with contemporary products. My painted pieces are beautiful to the eye and to the touch with hand rubbed silkiness. I have a BA in Studio Arts with a concentration in Printmaking and I minored in Interior Design. I am an accomplished floral designer and I was the head designer before taking over my flower shop. I also worked closely with an interior designer from Sotheby’s Antiques in NYC. I am a member of the Yadkin Arts Council. Please be nice, respect copyright laws and the world will truly be a much better place. All artwork is protected by copyright laws.