Light and airy washes in subdued shades shape and suggest faces. Oversized with soulful eyes, Lauren Haggis' paintings are delicate and engaging.

"I love the human figure, mainly the female figure, men are great, but the female figure really speaks to me," Lauren tells me over coffee recently at the Dialog Cafe.

Lauren first began drawing at age 11 and received her degree in New York at the school of Visual Arts. "I couldn't have asked for a better education."

A logistical problem with storing oil paintings got her into watercolors. Other students had slots too close and ended up ruining some work. "That's when I got into faces." After an apprenticeship to a Brooklyn artist, Lauren came home to Los Angeles about a year ago and set up shop in Burbank.

How did your time in New York shape you as an artist? "New York gets a bad rap, but it was an amazing experience for me. I learned how to weld and how to etch and silkscreen. I ended up doing most of my work in acrylics."

Are you changing things up for your next series? "I am working on a series: Mirrors and Kaleidoscopes" is what I'm going to call it, I think. I'll probably change my mind. I always do. It has to do with reflections and surfaces."

What do you want people to see in your work? "The acrylic paintings show a specific image but don't tell you what's going on. For example, I have an acrylic painting called 3 AM, it's rather large, 82 x 50 inches. It shows a woman sitting on the side of a bed. It doesn't show anything else, there is no other person in the picture. It's not really explaining what's going on. I like to ask questions rather than give someone the straight story. I like to start a dialogue between the viewer and the paintings."

Did you get that from dad (director Paul Haggis)? "Growing up and being around so many creative people was inspiring. It's a blessing to have a creative family. My mom is one of the most creative people I ever met."

The flow of inspiration seems steady? "I am extraordinarily lucky if I know what I'm doing next. Sometimes I finish a piece and have a panic attack."

Which artists inspire you? "Gary Baseman and Murakami. They have this dark cartoony look with all these other things going on. Classical and so many other things."

Let's see those paintings you brought! "These are all self portraits. I use my own face. It's not literal. Some people might see a zombie or anger or self-hatred. That's what I love about creating art. When they talk and they have a conversation. That , to me, is the best thing in the world."

View Lauren's work at www.laurenhaggis.com

Story by Victoria Joyce.

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