At The Other Art Fair Brooklyn, Lauren of Carmela Designs transforms memories, travel, and everyday moments into still life and nature-inspired paintings that feel timeless, calming, and deeply personal.
Some artwork demands attention the moment you see it.
Other artwork invites you to slow down.
The paintings of Lauren, founder of Carmela Designs, belong firmly in the second category.
At The Other Art Fair Brooklyn, visitors stopping by Booth 86 were greeted by a collection of works that felt less like objects on a wall and more like windows into a quieter way of living. Muted color palettes, gentle still lifes, and nature-inspired compositions created an atmosphere that encouraged reflection rather than distraction.
There is something undeniably calming about Lauren’s work.
The paintings evoke memories of countryside escapes, slow mornings, and the understated beauty of everyday moments. Looking at them feels like stepping into a peaceful corner of Italy, a garden in early spring, or a sunlit room where time moves a little slower.
That sense of tranquility is no accident.
Lauren describes her artistic style as simple, timeless, and rooted in a restrained color palette. Her work often focuses on still life and nature, drawing inspiration from places that feel grounded and authentic.
Interestingly, although she is based on the West Coast, much of her inspiration comes from the East Coast.
She finds herself drawn to lush landscapes, historic towns, changing seasons, and the rich greenery that contrasts sharply with the environment she grew up in. Living in San Diego, she developed an appreciation for places that felt greener and more abundant with plant life, often imagining landscapes far from home.
That longing became part of her artistic language.
Many of her paintings begin during travel.
Rather than relying solely on digital photography, Lauren frequently uses a film camera, a choice that naturally slows the creative process. Film encourages patience and intentionality. Every frame requires thought, every composition matters, and every image becomes part of a growing archive of visual memories.
Those photographs often serve as a starting point rather than a final destination.
A single image might inspire the shape of a tree, the glow of afternoon light, or the color palette of an entire painting. Sometimes a painting grows directly from a photograph. Other times it emerges from a feeling associated with that moment.
The result is work that feels familiar yet dreamlike.
Reality becomes memory.
Memory becomes art.
Nature has been a constant presence throughout Lauren’s life.
Growing up, her parents encouraged time outdoors, exposing her to plants, gardens, and natural environments from an early age. Weekend visits to the famous San Diego Zoo became lessons in observation, with her father teaching her about trees, plants, and the natural world.
Today, that influence remains central to her practice.
Her father’s garden continues to inspire new work. Seasonal fruits, flowers, and plants often become subjects for still-life compositions, connecting her current artistic practice to childhood memories and family traditions.
It is a reminder that inspiration does not always arrive through grand experiences.
Sometimes it grows quietly in a backyard garden.
Lauren’s studio practice reflects the same sense of calm found in her paintings.
Working from a home studio shared with her husband’s workspace, she creates under natural light whenever possible. A cup of tea, comfortable clothing, familiar music, and a peaceful environment help establish the conditions she needs to create.
Unlike many artists who thrive late at night, Lauren considers herself a morning creative.
The ideal studio session begins after breakfast, when the day still feels full of possibility and distractions have yet to accumulate. There is something about those early hours that allows ideas to flow more freely.
Even so, deadlines remain a reality.
When exhibitions approach, paintings happen whenever they need to happen.
One of the most insightful parts of Lauren’s practice is her commitment to awareness.
Recently, she returned to morning journaling, a habit that has helped clear mental clutter and create space for observation. By putting daily responsibilities and thoughts onto paper first thing in the morning, she finds herself more present throughout the day.
Instead of mentally reviewing errands or obligations, she can notice the world around her.
A blooming flower.
A changing season.
A beautiful tree.
A fleeting moment that might otherwise pass unnoticed.
Those observations frequently become the seeds of future paintings.
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For emerging artists, Lauren’s advice is refreshingly straightforward: keep creating.
Experiment.
Stay open.
Allow yourself to evolve.
Her own journey reflects that philosophy. While she studied interior design, painting became a largely self-directed pursuit. She originally focused on landscapes before challenging herself to explore still life, a shift that ultimately transformed her artistic direction and opened new possibilities.
That willingness to change continues to guide her work today.
Looking ahead, Lauren dreams of expanding beyond traditional painting. She is interested in collaborations involving textiles, tile design, murals, and other applications that allow artwork to become part of everyday life.
It is a natural extension of her philosophy.
Her paintings already invite viewers to bring beauty into their daily environments.
Future projects may simply take that invitation into new forms.
At a time when so much visual culture competes for attention through noise and spectacle, Lauren’s work offers something increasingly rare.
Quiet.
Patience.
Presence.
A reminder that beauty often lives in the small moments we might otherwise overlook.
And perhaps that is why her paintings feel so memorable.
They are not asking us to escape life.
They are encouraging us to notice it.
Tarik Talk Podcast takes listeners inside artist studios, galleries, museums, art fairs, and creative spaces around the world through conversations with artists, curators, collectors, entrepreneurs, and cultural leaders.
Hosted by Tarik Mendes, the podcast has featured more than 200 episodes across 50 seasons and has been filmed in over 10 countries, documenting the stories, ideas, and people shaping contemporary art and culture.