Laura Lacambra Shubert – Wind rustling through the hair of a young boy by the water, the strong yet delicate foot of a ballerina gliding seamlessly into her slipper, sun seeping through a French window to kiss the orchids that adorn someone’s living room— these are just a few examples of how Laura Lacambra Shubert transforms the simplest of subjects into the most romantic of scenes. 

Born to a Basque father and an American mother in Durham, North Carolina, Laura Lacambra Shubert was actually raised between Florida and Spain. She knew art was her calling from an early age and was intent on making a career out of her passion. Shubert attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, graduating with a BFA in Painting, Printmaking and Drawing in 1986. As a student, she spent a year abroad in Paris, France, where she studied Painting at the Académie Port Royal. Upon her return to the US, Laura Lacambra Shubert began exhibiting in solo and group shows across the country. Additionally, in 2000, she was named a Fellow of London’s Royal Society of Arts (established in 1754).

Laura Lacambra Shubert is not interested in creating or conveying complicated and puzzling narratives in her work.

“I like art that can communicate to people who do not have a doctorate in art history. Anyone can feel or get something from my paintings. I’m seeking an intuitive and emotional response from the viewer,” she once stated.

Shubert paints with broad strokes, weaving together light and shadow in a way that imbues each of her paintings with a palpable energy. Though loose, each bravura-style brushstroke carries an elegance that enhances seemingly regular subjects with a sense of grace.

A master of subtlety, Shubert layers paint to convey the micro-movements that breathe life into otherwise still environments.

This is apparent in her ability to realistically depict scenes such as the quiet rocking of closely aligned boats tied to a dock, or the swaying pattern of sun poking through the leaves of a tree projecting onto the side of a building. The viewer cannot help but to be reminded of life’s quiet, often overlooked, pleasures. In the same way that spending time in the sun on a warm day can feel rejuvenating, looking at Laura Lacambra Shubert’s paintings makes one feel refreshed and content. James R. Nelson of the Birmingham News once aptly described this quality in saying that Shubert’s paintings “demand little of the viewer and offer a quiet haven for the stressed.”

Shubert’s work can be found in private and corporate collections around the world, and she exhibits across several galleries domestically. Currently, the artist resides in Winter Park, Florida, though she spends a few months of each year in Spain.

“I work from life and photographs,” says Shubert. “Years ago all of my work was from memory and I found myself in constant pursuit of an inner voice rather than concentrating on the purity of painting. I now prefer the immediacy I achieve from the combination of life studies and photographs.”