Laurie Basham

Laurie Basham spent 35 years as a public-school art educator in Maryland encouraging others to find their creative voices. Now, living in North Carolina and working from her studio in downtown Winston-Salem, she is finally leaning into her own art making and speaking in her own creative voice.

In Laurie’s work, light is both subject and metaphor. She is captivated by the "halo effect" of backlit subjects—the way a glow can wrap around the edge of a flower or a face. To her, searching for that halo is like looking for angels—it is a reminder of the unseen light that daily guides us. To capture these moments, she works with both soft pastels and PanPastels. This allows Laurie to move quickly—keeping her connected to her instincts rather than overthinking the marks.

While it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the heaviness in the world, she believes there is a quiet, persistent beauty that often goes unnoticed: the shadows don't exist to diminish the light but to define it.

Laurie’s work encourages us to cherish the beauty in everyday life, to stay present, and to continually look for the light. She believes finding brilliance—and holding onto it—is an act of hope and a way to stay aligned with peace.

Laurie received her Degree in Art Education from the University of Maryland in 1985, and she is an Associate Member of the Pastel Society of America as well as a member of the Pastel Guild of Europe, the Muddy River Arts Association, and the Pastel Society of North Carolina.