Scrolling through illustrator Laura Kwok’s Instagram page, it’s easy to guess her sources of inspiration. Based in Vancouver, Canada, her work centers around themes that include nature, wildlife, and travel, recreating these themes in a colorful and imaginative style.
“I think I’m influenced the most when I go on vacation and travel to places of natural beauty,” she further relayed in an interview with Lake. “Most recently, one of my best friends and I explored Iceland and all the mountains, waterfalls, and glaciers that the country had to offer. It was all so wildly beautiful, and memorable adventures like those really inspire me to create when I come back home.”
Having launched her stationery brand Art + Soul Creative Co. in 2016, Kwok designs and illustrates for her own product line, her work consisting mostly of greeting cards and prints. “Many of my greeting cards feature punny phrases that I think of myself,” she explains. “The name of my company is no different. ‘Art + Soul’ is a play on words of ‘heart and soul’. I put everything into my art and I wanted my company name to reflect that.”
Aside from working with clients and creating commercial work, Kwok is passionate about pursuing her own large-scale art pieces and mural projects. “It’s definitely been a crazy roundabout journey for me but all my life experiences have been valuable and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she exclaims.
