I Am: Laura Krudener

Our friends over at Goldyn, one of Denver�s hippest boutiques, has shared with us their �I AM� series.

Celebrating distinctive, extraordinary women, embracing their true self and individual style, I AM features and celebrates a group of strong women with close ties to Goldyn. They�re friends, family, customers, partners, designers, and most importantly, the boutique�s day-to-day inspiration.

All rooted in Colorado, the women of I AM range in age, careers paths, all with different life perspectives. Some are life long friends while others are new to Goldyn�s world, one even being Goldyn owner, Vanessa Barcus�s own mother. I AM is important for all women, it�s a reminder that we are to be celebrated.

Meet Artist, Laura Krudener {guest post by Goldyn}:

Laura�s incredible paintings use giant swaths of color to invoke feelings of movement and energy, and yet at the same time also demonstrate a suspended stillness. This summer Laura the launched new blog, fittingly titled Among the Colors. Among the Colors will take Laura�s artist perspective to an interactive level as readers can see Laura�s inspirations and try her creative ideas around style, food, the home, and more for themselves. Read below to hear what Laura had to say about her new blog endeavor, her artwork, and her personal style.

Laura wears a blouse by Helmut Lang, leather biker jacket and jeans by Iro, and necklace by Native and Nomad.

Laura Krudener in her studio. Photos by Sara Ford.

Goldyn: Tell me a bit more about the blog you�re starting and where the inspiration came from. Laura: Among the Colors is a storytelling platform created specifically to empower the creative female. As an artist, I am often asked, �What inspires you?� I took this question and created a multi-faceted, multi-media project to answer that question for myself, as well as create a dialogue with others about inspiration, creativity and self-expression. Among the Colors will feature artist interviews, fashion profiles on creative women and guides for inspired living. I see Among the Colors as a blog-meets-artist/design-studio-meets-artist-workshop. I want to create a space that starts digital, but offers an invitation to participate in a hands-on experience. Maybe that�s trying a new recipe, experimenting with gardening, redesigning your living room or buying a piece of art. This conversation between digital and analog is crucial for me. After all, I am a hands-on, get-covered-in-paint artist. I love the act of holding and reading a book, listening to vinyl, and I grow my own food in the garden. I spend too much time on Instagram and my phone, just like the rest of us, but I think we are all craving a way to participate in the creative conversation of life in a more tactile sort of way. Among the Colors will offer access points for creativity and inspiration in an artistic and poetic way. I want to invite others to participate in the creative lifestyle, and hopefully for women to realize that you don�t have to be an �artist� to appreciate art and be creative, just like you don�t have to be an amazing singer or musician, for music to have a powerful effect in your life. Goldyn: How does your work as an artist and now blogger influence your style? Laura: As a painter, line is my language, and color is my poetry. I always pay attention to the material, volume and texture of an item. And of course, color. A good Pantone will get me every time. Tibi is a great influence of mine. Amy Simlovic started out as a painter, and her intimacy with line and shape is always evident in her stunning runway shows. As a designer, I grew up in the textile industry in North Carolina. My father, grandfather and great grandfather all worked in textiles, and my great grandmother was an amazing painter. Creativity and design were always encouraged. I started drawing patterns and design ideas on sticky notes for my dad when I would go with him to the office as a child. I started working as a textile designer, as well as trend forecasting and storyboarding at the end of high school and have been in the industry ever since. As a textile designer, I have always been obsessed with the language of textiles and pattern to tell a story, to share a history, and to evoke an emotion. Much as the way line and color can transform the space of a canvas, a vibrant pattern laid to silk provides an experience all of its on. I am drawn to designers that focus on pattern and print as part of their collections. As a blogger and creative director of Among the Colors, I am excited to share my style stories and the stories of other women in a way that will create a conversation about what style means to each of us. Goldyn: How would you define your style in a nutshell? Laura: Contemporary Bohemian. I love effortless, modern looks, but there is always a little dash of my inner hippie in everything I wear. Goldyn: What�s your favorite decade and why? Laura: If I could time travel, musically I would go back to the early 70s. I would have loved to have seen the greats in their prime. The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and the Grateful Dead. Yes please. Sign me up. Goldyn: If you could be anyone at any time, who would your fantasy self be (famous or just made up!) and what would she be doing? Laura: Beyonce. Always be Beyonce Goldyn: What do you love about your space? Laura: I love the light in my studio in the mornings. I love that I have a space that begs for me to be creative. To think, contemplate, experiment, and play. And I love that my husband has a ridiculously extensive vinyl collection there and we spend our weekends digging through crates, and being creative together.