On the “City Lights” series “Speaking of Art,” local artists share insights into their influences, processes and experiences in town. This edition focuses on Lauren Merceron, an Atlanta-based artist, art teacher, and intuitive painter.
Although Merceron enjoys mixed media as a medium, she is clear about her personal artistic preferences. “I like mixed media, but I’m working mostly with acrylics. I also love painting on paper because you get so much variation with the colors,” said Merceron. Her own work is a mixture of taupes, creams, yellows, pinks, and greens and heavily generous with ranges of deep blues.
As a budding artist, Merceron struggled in school for a long time and learned years later that she had dyslexia. She found art to be a comforting “safe place” for her and has since extended her love for art to teaching art to the next generation. “I want to always be able to provide the experience that was gifted to me to students.”
Merceron came to Atlanta in 2015 following her husband, who is training at Emory University. She loves exploring the city and sees it as virtually bursting with art. “There’s so much to explore and so many talented artists here. Of course, I love the Woodruff Art Center. There’s such a wealth of opportunity to be explored here,” Merceron says. Merceron feels fortunate to be a working art teacher in Fulton County Schools and relishes the support for arts within the school system. “Art just brings so much vibrance to everyone’s life. Could not imagine what life would be without music and visual arts,” reflects Merceron.
Work by Lauren Merceron can be seen at https://www.laurenmerceron.com/ and on Instagram at @laurenmerceronart
