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Laura Park aka Featherbed

laura park featherbedThere’s something about flipping through someone’s sketchbook that is both fascinating and satisfying at the same time. Fascinating because you are witnessing the artist’s innermost thoughts and dreams, and satisfying because it’s raw and kinetic. There’s no editor there to hold any imagery back. All is game.

Enter Laura Park and her wonderful sketchbook of bizarre scenes, scenarios, stories, and dreams. She has no website to showcase her work, but I stumbled upon her drawings and paintings through that wonderful time-waster of a site, Flickr. Laura’s work reminds me a little of Robert Crumb, with a slight touch of manga, but since I’m not too knowledgeable about the comic scene, I could be wrong. I just really dig her stuff. Her eye for quirky details is amazing and her penchant for “cheesy true crime novels” (her words) is evident in the bizarre worlds that she creates. I also love how she incorporates letterforms into her compositions, too.

Since there was not much info on “Featherbed” (Laura’s namesake on Flickr), I just had to find out who this elusive artist was. She tells me that she lives in Chicago, but originally from California, and that she is a “history freak, an ex-civil war buff, a fan of early American ballads and assorted country blues, delta blues, string bands, hokum music… and I tend to draw myself way too much.” Plus she finds most things (even awful things) “vaguely funny.” Oh, and she used to be a preacher when she was 6 years-old. Interesting.

Since the pages posted in her photoset are from her sketchbook, viewing them could be a bit disconcerting since the subjects are at times upside down or at an angle. But that is part of the fun for me. Be sure to check out her paintings on her Flickr page, as well. Great stuff.

  • http://jaystephens.com/ Jay

    Love it. Stunning find, Ward. Featherbed is so so soothing and… and… zzzzzz (dreaming of retired stickup men with pet pigeons)

  • http://jaystephens.com Jay

    Love it. Stunning find, Ward. Featherbed is so so soothing and… and… zzzzzz (dreaming of retired stickup men with pet pigeons)

  • http://www.mts.net/~cstein/ chris

    i think i’m in love

  • http://www.mts.net/~cstein/ chris

    i think i’m in love

  • http://www.madterroristpress.com/ Jose G

    Laura is the dopest. Also check out:
    http://www.madterroristpress.com/laurap.htm

  • http://www.madterroristpress.com Jose G

    Laura is the dopest. Also check out:
    http://www.madterroristpress.com/laurap.htm

  • http://www.blankheadspace.net/ MrBlank

    Her stuff is awsome! I tried to get her to join my Flickr group a while back, but she never accepted. :(

    http://www.flickr.com/groups/sketchbook/

    Anyway, don’t underestimate the Flickr! Always neat stuff to find there.

  • http://www.blankheadspace.net MrBlank

    Her stuff is awsome! I tried to get her to join my Flickr group a while back, but she never accepted. :(

    http://www.flickr.com/groups/sketchbook/

    Anyway, don’t underestimate the Flickr! Always neat stuff to find there.

  • molitorious

    Laura is amazing.

  • molitorious

    Laura is amazing.

  • http://www.horsepuppy.com/ Horsepuppy

    ROCK!

  • http://www.horsepuppy.com/ Horsepuppy

    ROCK!

  • Joi

    it’s superb

  • Joi

    it’s superb

  • Azz

    I started flipping through thinking…yeah this’ll take a minute or so. I couldn’t stop. I had to actively stop flipping because there was work to be done.

  • Azz

    I started flipping through thinking…yeah this’ll take a minute or so. I couldn’t stop. I had to actively stop flipping because there was work to be done.

  • http://www.fedepazos.com.ar/ fp

    ufff
    amazing
    this is the greatest stuff i´ve seen in a while…

  • http://www.fedepazos.com.ar fp

    ufff
    amazing
    this is the greatest stuff i´ve seen in a while…

  • http://www.coreybarba.com/ Corey Barba

    I once tried to talk Laura into shaving her eyebros off and redrawing them into a constantly ‘suprised” look. Or alternately, a very sad or angry look.

    Someday she will meet her lord in the air. (shiver)

  • http://www.coreybarba.com Corey Barba

    I once tried to talk Laura into shaving her eyebros off and redrawing them into a constantly ‘suprised” look. Or alternately, a very sad or angry look.

    Someday she will meet her lord in the air. (shiver)

  • http://www.knuckleheadkomics.com/ Matt

    Grusomely cute, eerily beautiful and makes me nostalgic for times I never lived in.

  • http://www.knuckleheadkomics.com Matt

    Grusomely cute, eerily beautiful and makes me nostalgic for times I never lived in.

  • barbara c.

    she is a moving system of art and sound.

  • barbara c.

    she is a moving system of art and sound.

  • http://www.paulevangelista.com/ paul evangelista

    Laura’s stuff is still crazy tight banging bad ass… she still puts my stuff to shame.

  • http://www.paulevangelista.com paul evangelista

    Laura’s stuff is still crazy tight banging bad ass… she still puts my stuff to shame.