“Love Letters to Scotland County”: Crawford Exhibits Series of Paintings in Indianapolis

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 By Emily Bontrager 

In September, Laura Crawford showcased a series of paintings for a solo show at Gallery 6202 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Scotland County has always held a special place in Laura’s heart, so she decided to paint a series to showcase the rural areas of the county. The acrylic paintings are Laura’s “Love Letters to Scotland County.” 

Laura, 62, lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with her husband Ninev Zia. She grew up in St. Louis, MO, Columbia, MO and southeast Texas. Laura has an undergrad in English Literature and a Master’s in Information Science from Indiana University. She worked in the healthcare industry until she retired, and she is now a full-time artist. 

Laura’s mother’s side of the family grew up in rural Scotland County. Her mother is Betty Crawford, and her grandparents were Earl Crawford and Mary Belle Crawford. 

“I just have so many good memories of being a kid and being there,” Laura said. 

Coming from a family of painters, Laura has always had a talent for painting and creating artwork. Laura has made artwork with clay and stained glass, but her favorite type of artwork to create is acrylic paintings of landscapes. She has also painted flowers, mountains, trees and gardens to capture moments of beauty that inspire her. 

Last month, Laura displayed her seven acrylic paintings at her solo show at Gallery 6202. 

Gallery 6202 has a lot of known artists that display their artwork at the gallery, but they also feature local artists every month. 

In December of last year, Gallery 6202 asked Laura if she would like to do a solo show at the gallery this year. She jumped at the chance to display some of her artwork at the gallery. 

Laura decided to build her solo show around different landscapes in Scotland County. She and her husband come back to the area often and she has always loved the scenery. 

“It is really interesting what land people respond to. Some people are called to the mountains or some to the beaches. I have always just loved those green rolling hills and the big skies there,” Laura stated. 

Laura is pleased with how the paintings turned out and wanted to show her love for Scotland County through her paintings. 

“I wanted them to be good artistically, but I really wanted them to broadcast how much I love that area. That is why I called it “Love Letters to Scotland County” because I wanted people to feel that,” Laura explained. 

The acrylic paintings are titled, Middle Fabius, Arbela, Sand Hill, Granger, Crawford, Rutledge, and South Gorin. 

The centerpiece of the show was the 30×40 Crawford painting which has a big empty sky. The other 24×30 acrylic paintings depict different scenery in Scotland County, including row crops, a curved road, wavy hills, and clouds in the sky. 

For Laura, the best part of the solo show was seeing her paintings hanging up on the wall in the gallery. Laura’s favorite part of painting is seeing her artwork come to life and flow through her and getting an idea out of her head and on the canvas. 

Some advice that Laura would like to pass on to those who want to be an artist is to not give up and keep creating artwork. She also wants people to know that not everyone will always respond to your art. 

“I have my own style and I know not everybody likes that, but I think a good piece of advice is to work out your style and don’t try to be anybody else,” Laura said. 

Laura would love to showcase her paintings in the area if someone is willing to let her do so. You can contact Laura at laurascrawford@gmail. com. 

“It would be wonderful to put some prints in a store in Memphis or show them in an empty store on the square sometime,” Laura said. 

Laura does sell some of her artwork and sets up at festivals, shows, and galleries when she can. You can check out Laura’s artwork on her website laura-crawford.com or follow her on Facebook and Instagram.