Born in Newport News, Virginia Laura Elizabeth Freed began painting at the age of ten and her love for creating art continues today.  Although still a painter, her true passion lies in creating lively and intellectually stimulating metal sculptures, a gift she discovered later in her life. Freed’s work is at times fun and whimsical and at others, pure, sophisticated form. Regardless of the piece, you can expect her work to be infused with elegance, meaning, and above all beauty. Freed was first introduced to metalwork through a jewelry-making course she completed while enrolled at Virginia Polytechnic Institute.  After graduating with a BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1993, Freed moved to Seattle, WA where she resided until 1997. Although working in advertising sales, the dreams of exploring larger scale metal work monopolized her thoughts and Freed began the journey toward making these ideas a reality. She returned to the East Coast, enrolled in a metal sculpture class at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and began exploring this new path. Assured that she was in fact destined to work with metal, Freed enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University. While working toward the degree of Master of Fine Arts, Freed honed her technical skills in both metalsmithing and blacksmithing. She instructed undergraduates in metal forming, participated in the University’s high school portfolio reviews and co-chaired a national student exhibition. Since receiving her MFA, Freed participates in guest lectures, slide presentations and teaches whenever possible. When asked about what inspires her work, Freed says she is heavily influenced by the natural world around her, in particular, botanical elements such as bulbs, leaves and petals. “Color and form,” Freed states, “together provide the character, attitude and mood for each piece.” She also draws on human experience stating that, “just as life happens by way of a fusion of planning, spontaneity, experience and risk, so does my metalwork.” Freed resides in Washington, DC creating both commissioned and non-commissioned pieces. At the urging of friends and family, Freed’s undertakings now also include a jewelry line, FREEDSTUDIO. She considers each design a "mini sculpture"... fun and fast. Taking after her metalwork, the focus on combinations of color and shape are evident. Her jewelry line can be found in select boutiques as well as online. Visit www.freedstudio.com for sales and retail information. Freed's metalwork is shown nationally and held in private collections throughout the United States.

-Biography by freelance art consultant Kate Utley www.artisticaffairs.com