Lauren Mele
Lauren Mele: Working with concepts of femininity, my paintings unabashedly portray women delighted in their skins. Embracing flaws, sexuality and indulgence, they urge the viewer to engage with their own physicality. Social labels of grotesque and lust associated with the body interest me, my paintings explore the intricacies of the two. My figures exude flamboyance and confidence. The term ‘feminine’ should be flexible and fluid and more strongly associated with the term ‘feminist’. The society manages to keep the two concepts fairly disassociated, when in fact both should bring the word ‘robust’ to mind.
These paintings are a part of my Siren Series. There is a nostalgia to them that implies a 50’s/60s throwback when in fact, the imagery is appropriated from glamour magazines, like Playboy from the last two years, demonstrating that the female body is indeed timeless. These paintings take the girls out of the magazines and re-contextualise them into fine art, more specifically, into oil paint – an ancient and historic medium. The pretext ‘siren’ is a nod to ancient mythology implying that these women are in a position of power – both beautiful, seductive and slightly dangerous!
“These paintings are a part of my Siren Series. There is a nostalgia to them that implies a 50’s/60s throwback when in fact, the imagery is appropriated from glamour magazines, like Playboy from the last two years, demonstrating that the female body is indeed timeless”
TAF: What’s your name and where are you from?
Lauren Mele: I’m Lauren Mele – I am American and British but was born and raised in France. I moved to the UK when I was 10. After finishing my degree in Boston (US) I moved to London.
TAF: What do you do?
Lauren Mele: I am an artist full time at heart, part-time in reality. I also work part-time in tech.
TAF: What sets you apart?
Lauren Mele: I would like to think that my unabashed portrayal of confident femininity paired with bold strokes with a heavy hand, sets my work apart from others.
TAF: How did you get into art?
Lauren Mele: Almost by default! I was always creatively inclined, ever since I was very young. Luckily, I was always encouraged to embrace that direction. I got a scholarship to attend an art uni in Boston and when I finished I decided to “get a real job” and quickly learned that life outside my studio was very difficult for me to come to terms with – I became very depressed in 9-5 jobs. In short, I figured out the hard way that I couldn’t not do art.
TAF: How long have you been drawing or painting for?
Lauren Mele: I’ve been drawing since I could hold a pencil. I started seriously pursuing painting as a career when I was around 24 pairing it with a slew of part-time jobs.. I’ve done just about everything.
TAF: When did you start getting paid work?
Lauren Mele: That is a tricky question! Since I became committed to being an artist, I went from selling a couple of pieces a year with a couple of commissions thrown into the mix, to selling several pieces a year and having several commissions thrown into the mix (mainly portraiture). This has been a long process though! It has almost been 10 years since I devoted myself to this direction and it has been a marathon, not a sprint.
TAF: How did you get started and tell us the story of how you got your first commissioned job?
Lauren Mele: I have always been creatively inclined. After studying art at university and then switching gears and getting a ‘real job’ I found myself very unhappy. Then a dear friend of mine died suddenly and I realised that life is too short not to do what makes you happy. So that is when I committed myself to my practice. I actually got my first commissioned job when I was a teenager. It was the first time that I realised that I could make money from art.
TAF: How long do you spend on each piece?
Lauren Mele: It depends on what I am working on. Commissions I spend between 3 and 10 weeks on. My current series I am working on (my Siren series) I make a point of not working on each one longer than a day – I find that the less you work on something the more movement and texture is retained. Plus I am of a generation that is easily distracted and serial multi-taskers.
TAF: Who inspires you?
Lauren Mele: I love the work of Lisa Yuskovage – a very emotive and bold artist painting lush, indulgent nudes. I love her use of colour and narrative. I also remind myself of Pablo Picasso’s quote when I’m feeling stagnant in what I’m doing: “Inspiration exists but it has to find you working”
TAF: What obstacles did you have to overcome?
Mental illness. I do what I love to keep me ticking.. I think everyone should do what they love, just some people don’t have the capacity not to do what they love. I am very lucky that I have had a great support system that is nurturing and respectful of my decisions.
TAF: What advice would you give to a young artist?
Lauren Mele: Get ready for a marathon. Have patience with yourself and never stop devoting yourself to your practice. Have the big picture goal in your head and your next piece in the front of your mind. I tend to be most productive when isolating my thoughts to the present while I’m working.
TAF: What's the most fun you've had on a commissioned job?
Lauren Mele: I was commissioned to paint a mural on a roof terrace – that was amazingly fun!! It was a very big blank wall on a Thames facing roof terrace in Bermondsey. The landscape designer of the terrace entered our work into a competition and got it featured in the Evening Standard as well as Homes & Gardens in 2017. Not to mention I was working in the summer outdoors – what more can you ask for!
“My paintings unabashedly portray women delighted in their skins. ”
TAF: Besides from painting what else do you enjoy doing?
Lauren Mele: I am an avid podcast listener.. pretty much anything that is recommended to me I’ll listen to. I also ride horses near the city every weekend. I also love eating. All the money I earn is pretty much spent on eating and buying other people’s artwork.
TAF: What's your dream or passion?
Lauren Mele: Dreams are great but I feel like that is a term that is intangible. Dreams are something that you can enjoy from afar. I’m working toward my dream of supporting myself solely through my art, so I hope it won’t be a ‘dream’ for too much longer. I’m passionate about travelling and food. I also love animals.. anything combining food, travel, animals and art is my happy place.
TAF: What's your favourite movie?
Lauren Mele: Oh how I love this question. my favourite movie changes all the time. Right now my favourite movie is Royal Tenenbaums and is one that I come back to over and over again. Most movies that Wes Anderson puts out I tend to really love.
TAF: What's your favourite art medium?
Lauren Mele: Oil painting! Oil painting on paper is my favourite at the moment.
TAF: Where's the best place for people to find your work website or social handles?
Lauren Mele: My website is www.laurenmele.com (note to self – MUST UPDATE IT!). The best way for people to keep up with my upcoming exhibitions and new work is on Instagram where you can find me @laurenmeleart The second best way is to sign up to my website (www.laurenmele.com/news) You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter but I rarely use those platforms – both @laurenmeleart
Lauren Mele is a figurative artist based in London.