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WHO IS PIE BAKER LADY?
ARTIST STATEMENT
My name is Laura Rene Baker... and I am a busy woman, but living a creative life to the fullest, and I wouldn't have it any other way! All 3 of my children are adults, with one still in college at Kansas State University. My husband is the founder and director of the William Baker Choral Foundation and has used his entrepreneurial skills to build a non-profit arts organization that involves hundreds of musicians of all ages and music backgrounds. We always dreamed of working together on this mission, promoting excellence in performance, and I was able to lay aside my career in Architecture to join him when I got laid off during the Covid pandemic.
I currently work as Development Director for the Choral Foundation that has 13 performing ensembles in 4 States, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Georgia. When I am not writing grants, posting on social media, working in the Sullivan music library, or creating graphic marketing flyers. I also perform in 4 of those ensembles in the Kansas City area (singing and ringing handbells). Still, I find time to bake and paint, relishing the precious free hours in my art studio.
My family, making music, making art and baking pies are what really brings me JOY and makes my heart sing!!!
I have super attention to detail in my illustrations and that is intentional. I want my paintings to reflect the true beauty of each pie and make the observer drool in anticipation of baking that beautiful pie!
My artist style, which some have described as folksy, works with different mediums, like watercolor, watercolor pencil, acrylic and colored pencil, creates a truly unique way of illustrating food.
INSPIRATION
Inspiration for my baking comes from visits to the local farmer's markets and local U-pick farms. I am inspired by fruits at the peak of their ripeness, when they are most juicy and flavorful! My family and friends have learned to embrace the deliciousness of seasonal fruits as well.
I love to bake pies for my friends and family, following in the footsteps of 3 generations of ladies before me. For me, any occasion is the right occasion to bake a pie! Each one is made with TLC and lots of Love!
The inspiration to paint is harder because I lead an action-packed life. I need space, quiet and contemplation time before I can clear my mind and get my creative juices flowing. Each year I spend an inspiring week in a quiet town in Kansas as artist in residence at the Red Barn Studio. No chores, no hungry mouths to feed, no laundry or work obligations... just me and my paintbrushes. Quiet is the fuel that I need the most!
EDUCATION
B.A. Interior Architecture, minor in Watercolor painting
Kansas State University, class of 1989
European Studies
Fachhochschule des Landes Rheinland-Pfalz Abt., Fachberieich Innerarchitektur
Trier, Germany
BACKGROUND
I've enjoyed a lifetime of learning by experiencing many different types of art classes, including silver jewelry, hand built and thrown ceramics, photography, drawing, acrylic painting, watercolor painting, lithography & screen printing... just to name a few!
In the spirit of the queen of American crafting/baking, Martha Stewart, I am inspired with old-fashioned projects and recipes popularized by her MS Living magazine + cookbooks! I also have quite a collection of pie cookbooks gathered from thrift and book sales.
My home studio is filled with scraps of fabric and old t-shirts for quilting, bins of tiles for mosaics, baskets of hand carved stamps and bags of beads in every color/shape imaginable to make jewelry... you name the craft, i have tried it!
I am the most comfortable when my hands are holding a paintbrush or when they are cutting some shortening into flour to make a pie crust. After test-baking over 100 pies, I feel like I have mastered the flaky crust and have a great understanding of how to make a perfect pie!
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