Local artist presents first show

Few people outside her friends and family have seen her art, but now Lauren Good's work is in the spotlight at a newer Encinitas art gallery.

Good, a five-year resident of Encinitas, displays colorful paintings at the recently-opened Solomon and Co. Hair Studio, 1114 N. Coast Highway 101, through Jan. 31.

The self-taught artist recently spoke in an interview about her technique of pouring and blending colorful paints and her first show.

How would you describe your art?

I do abstract art with fluid acrylic, so it's kind of just like thinning out acrylic paint. It's basically pour-painting. Sometimes I'll do different colors in one cup, or I'll just pour them on the canvas and manipulate them through movement. I'll rock the canvas or twirl it to let the paint flow through the canvas that way.

What's your history with painting?

I've been doing this for maybe a year-and-a-half or two years. I actually was working in the medical field at a local oncology practice for about 15 years, and I got the opportunity to quit working. I decided I was going to go to college for the first time. Through starting college, I began digging into art and pour painting. I got hooked on it and the technique of it.

What got you interested in this kind of art?

I actually came across a video of an artist named Holton Rower, who does pour paintings. He does huge-scale projects just pouring paint, and he has like $20,000 paintings because of how much paint he uses. I thought the technique was interesting. I had never seen it before, so I started looking into it and educating myself on it. I decided I was going to try it myself and see what I could do. I'm self-taught and just trying different things. I'm sure throughout my journey I'll start to gravitate toward other things. This is just kind of the beginning.

Are there any themes that you like gravitating toward or things that you like to base your art off of?

I love colors and putting different ones together. Sometimes I like to try to put together colors that normally I wouldn't think would go together. When you add different elements to the paint, it can thin it or give a "cell effect" with bubbles. Sometimes you'll get color within color, and I just love that idea.

What do you want to say about this show at Solomon and Co.?

I'm excited. It's my first show ever, so I'm kind of just on this journey of something I like to do. I got this opportunity to show people my art, and I'm excited for people to see it and the different techniques. It's not just a portrait. It's pretty bold colors and the mixing of paints. Kind of like looking at a cloud, I think sometimes you can see different images in the paint, and people come up to their own conclusion and own image. It's kind of interesting to get people's interpretations.

Is it intimidating for you going into your first show?

Yes, very. It reminds me of the analogy of doing a speech and you're feeling like you're standing up there naked. It's kind of the same kind of feeling. It's a little nerve-wracking and you don't know how people are going to react to your art. If I went off my nerves, I wouldn't continue growing. It's one of those things where you put one foot in front of the other and jump in.

Solomon and Co. is still fairly new, having just opened earlier this year. Do you have anything to say about their unique concept of being a salon and art gallery and them bringing you in?

They're amazing. It's such a unique space and such a calming and cool environment. They're just bringing in local artists, and I think it's important to support each other and celebrate each other.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/solomonandcohair.