LAUREN BROWN We're out here too and there's a lot of stuff that we can do with these characters and the way we present ourselves

Inspired by nature, fashion and the desire for greater diversity, this illustrator’s reputation is sure to grow, finds Ian Dean

- Ian Dean

Whimsical, ornate and elegant, Lauren Brown’s illustrations for her own series, humorously dubbed the nouveau garden by the artist, are striking interpretations of the traditional art movement. Each one is themed around an element in nature we all take for granted, but in Lauren’s hands becomes a window into a new world.

“The moment I saw Alphonse Mucha’s work, I was just like, ‘Oh my God, this is exactly what I wanted’, because there was something so beautiful about the graphic design approach, but also the way that he treated his figures as women. The drapery of fabrics, the elegance… it’s almost like royalty of how they were framed by flowers.”

To get to that wow moment Lauren talks like it was a turning point, but revealing more about her artistic journey it’s clear this was always where she was meant to be. As a child Lauren drew copiously from nature and sketched animals. “I just loved everything: how animals worked, and how they moved and how they interacted,” she says, revealing how she would create stories and adventures for them. Later, her interests took in fashion as well as fantasy art, and everything began to click.

LIMITED IMAGINATIONS

There was something missing, however, and that was herself. Growing up, Lauren never saw herself in the art she loved.