SOUL STORIES

Dear Friends,

I am delighted to introduce a new series of commissioned work: Soul Stories.

Soul Stories are large, mixed-media sketches on toned, cotton paper. Like my Big Little Moments sketches, these are loose and expressionistic with less emphasis on the face. While Big Little Moments are small, Soul Stories start at 22x30 inches. Their larger format allows for exploration in individual play, sibling scenes, and parent and child moments. They aim to capture the energy and emotion of a caught moment.

Julia + Goldie, 2024

Mixed Media on Toned Paper

22 x 30 inches

Brothers, 2024

Mixed Media on Toned Paper

22 x 30 inches

BIG LITTLE MOMENTS: SUMMER 2024

I am delighted to announce that the Big Little Moments spring/summer waitlist is officially open!

My Big Little Moments sketches are loose and expressionistic studies, capturing candid moments in mixed media on toned cotton paper.

As part of the MOMS heart MOMS initiative, 25% of proceeds from my spring/summer Big Little Moments sketches will be donated to Welcome Baby USA.

MAYFIELD SIBLINGS

16 × 20 inches

ELINOR + LUCY

11 × 14 inches

KIMBRELL + CHILDREN

16 × 20 inches

CATHLEEN & CHILDREN

11 x 14 inches

SISTERS

8 × 10 inches

BROOKE + CARTER

12 × 16 inches

KATIE + DAUGHTER

8 × 10 inches

SIBLINGS

8 × 10 inches

NEWMAN FAMILY

12 × 16 inches

BROTHERS

ALY & CHILDREN

9 x 12 inches

ABBY & BOONE

8 x 8 inches

COREY & BABY

8 x 10 inches

MARY & CHILDREN

11 x 14 inches

GIRLS

8 x 8 inches

PROCESS

This list will sell out quickly and is first come, first served.

1. To join, please Venmo a deductible waitlist reservation of $200 to @phelpsstudio with the note “big little moments” - then follow up with an email to studio@laurenphelps.com to initiate the commission process.

2. Photo submissions are due no later than June 10, 2024. Please send all options in a single email or shared folder. These images should be intimate and candid. Subjects should be unaware of the camera/viewer. No teeth, please. These may be snapshots or professional images and can be in PJs, your Sunday best, or anything in between. See examples above.

3. Your sketch delivery will be in late summer 2024.

YOUR STORY

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! As we head into 2024, I am so thankful for my amazing clients and tiny, beautiful subjects that allow me to live a life and career beyond anything I could have dreamed.

The most rewarding part of my work is listening to your stories and immortalizing them with my art. As I plan for the future, I have a few exciting projects I will be working on in the coming months and years. You are my inspiration, and your stories fuel my creative work.

Y O U R S T O R Y

What is your Big Little Moment? The “in-between” seemingly insignificant everyday moments that seem little but are incredibly big to us as parents. It could be something as small as a made-up song or a quirky ritual. It might be a single sentence or a short story. These moments are almost impossible to capture, even with a camera, and live only in our hearts. Maybe it’s something from your childhood that inexplicably lives with you after all these years.

If you have a #biglittlemoment you would be willing to share with me, please email studio@laurenphelps.com for an opportunity to be featured (anonymously or with your name included - it is your choice) in one of these major future projects.

If an artwork is produced (sketch, painting, etc.) inspired by your big little moment, I will send you the original signed artwork to keep as a gift of thanks for sharing your moment with me. The delivery timeline is not defined, as these are major lifelong dream projects that will take some time.

To submit your Big Little Moment, please reply here to studio@laurenphelps.com

I N S P I R A T I O N

"I used to dread the frequent night time wake-ups of the younger years and countless hours of lost sleep. But now that they are so few and far between I really embrace those middle of the night taps on my shoulder. I find myself just lifting up the blanket and welcoming their little warm bodies into my arms, breathing in their smell, listening to their little heartbeat all the while knowing how fleeting these little moments are”.

”When my oldest was 4 and we were snuggling in bed, she said: “You were out there in the world and I picked you. Wow, I thought there was no one like that and I picked you.” She melted my heart and reminded me how close children are to the source. I’ve kept a diary of all those little wise magical moments. I treasure them. It’s in the tiniest moments that my children prove to be my greatest spiritual teachers”.

“There’s something about that moment every morning when I open the door to my daughter’s room and there she is, waiting for me with a big smile on her little face, so excited to start the day together. There’s nothing quite like it in the entire world”.

Thank you for your love and vulnerability.

With love,

CAREER REBIRTH

This month, I am teaming up with my dear friend Nicole Katz for CAREER REBIRTH -

giving mothers the inspiration and tools they need to rebirth their careers

Many of you know my story and how I made a drastic career shift post kids. As a serial entrepreneur, empowering and supporting mothers as they find their path has become increasingly important to me. Just as your family stories inspire my art, inspiring you to take ownership of your stories and your life is a place

I hope to serve.

It all started with my mom and what she wished for me, and what she wished she could have done for herself. All of the dreams that were fulfilled and all of the dreams left unrealized. There is no dream, mother, label, or career hierarchy. Whether you are spending this chapter with your children, working full-time in the corporate world, or finding yourself somewhere in between, it’s all about making space for yourself to be better for those around you.

My dear friend Nicole, (the incredible yoga therapist, mother, and fellow career rebirther) and I have had countless conversations about this topic and decided to meld our expertise together and create something to support mothers who find themselves wondering....

What’s next?

“When I became pregnant and left fashion,
I felt lost.

I was journaling and asking, ‘what will my next chapter be?’

The word SERVICE came up again and again.

Telling your family stories and serving you with my art is my passion.

Career Rebirth is just one more place, I hope to serve you.”

— LP

AUTUMN MOMENTS

As summer winds down and autumn approaches, I can’t help but think about the nostalgia of the season. The beginning of the school year was always such an exciting time, and I love being able to experience it in a new way through my kids.

Every new school year reminds me of the fleeting nature of these simple moments and how fast time truly flies. Holding hands on the way to school, crisp leaves crunching underfoot as we walk home from the bus stop - I cherish these early fall memories.

My Big Little Moments sketches capture these memories in a loose and expressionistic way. I am opening up my Fall/Winter 2023 waitlist for a limited number of commissions.

To learn more about the commission’s process and access my extremely limited list, please subscribe to my newsletter here.

I am honored to continue sharing your stories.

With Love,

LP

big little mom|e n t s

Over the last few years, “big little moments” has become a big passion project. The story began a few years after I lost my mother to brain cancer when I became pregnant with my first son. I longed for her presence and began searching for my early childhood memories. I then realized it was never the big milestones that were most vivid; it was the seemingly insignificant everyday moments that held my heart. These moments inform my life as a mother and inspire my work.

My limited-edition charcoal sketches were born out of these experiences, and it is my honor to tell your family stories with my art.  

big little moments sketch

Mother + Sons

graphite charcoal and pastel on toned archival paper.

I look forward to sharing some special big little mom|ents with you from some of my favorite moms as we near closer to Mother's Day. Check back here and on social as I continue to share their stories and hopefully spread some love and magic along the way…

Sara Naghedi | Naghedi NYC

Sally King McBride | The Letter Nest

Nicole Katz | The Mat with Nicole Katz

OIL STUDIES

Oil painting is one of my favorite mediums. My traditional heirloom portraits are more highly detailed, and I wanted to find a less formal way to utilize my oil paints to capture the beauty of childhood. Thus, oil studies on exposed linen were born! These paintings are created all prima. The dichotomy of the fresh oil painting and the organic texture of the linen on full display is timeless yet modern.

ROBERT | 2022

oil on exposed linen

18 x 24 inches

My background is in fashion, and I wanted to honor the linen fabrication and allow it to have a more prominent place in the artwork. These paintings are looser in style and brushwork and allow even more freedom of expression.

SAM | 2022

oil on exposed linen

18 x 24 inches

This painting of my son is based on a snapshot my husband took at a cafe. I love that it is a real moment caught in time with all of its childish imperfections - his flipped collar, bunched shirt, and ruffled hair. This is childhood.

MARTHA | 2022

oil on exposed linen

12 x 16 inches

Although my oil waitlist is closed for 2023, I am accepting a select few Oil Study commissions. To reserve, please complete the form here, today.

UPDATED JAN 2023 - OIL STUDIES 2023 SOLD OUT. 2024 LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE.

With Love,

LP

FATHER + CHILD SKETCHES

Dear Friends,

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 21. For a limited time, I am offering the option to commission Father + Child charcoal study sketches for all of the special fathers and grandfathers in our lives. These sketches will be an heirloom quality gift to be enjoyed for many generations. For these commissions, I work from client provided photographs. These photos may be professional or snapshots, but should feel candid and intimate. My parent and child studies are loose, expressionistic artworks capturing the bond of parent and child. To inquire or join my waitlist, please email lp@laurenphelps.com no later than May 1, 2020.

Love,

LP

Blake and Lola, 2020

BLESSINGS IN A BACKPACK

Dear friends,

Our worlds have changed a great deal in the last few weeks. I am now reopening the option to place orders for parent and child study sketches and giving 25% of the proceeds to Blessings in a Backpack in an effort to help children no longer receiving school meals.

While we are working to protect and nurture our children at home, they continue to show us that even the most tragic and uncertain times are full of moments of magic and love. I am so thankful to continue to preserve these big little moments for your families to enjoy for generations to come.

To add your name to my waitlist, please email me directly at lp@laurenphelps.com before April 24, 2020.

Love,

LP

PARENT + CHILD STUDIES

Dear friends,

Thank you for your kind reaction to my “big little moments” sketchbook practice. I will offer the option to commission these study sketches for a limited time. The commissioned versions are graphite, charcoal and pastel on archival cotton paper. They are loose, intimate and expressionistic studies of the bond of parent and child. To join the waitlist, please submit your request to studio@laurenphelps.com by February 28, 2020.

Love,

LP

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CHARCOAL PORTRAITS

Dear Friends,

I am introducing the option to commission charcoal portraits. I have always enjoyed a limited color palettes and monochromatic artwork, so it’s no surprise that I have fallen in love with charcoal. I can work from client provided photos (snapshots are welcome upon approval) or you may schedule a sitting with me at my New York City studio. Charcoals are more accessible than oil portraits, but have the same capability of being long time family heirlooms when professionally framed and protected. If you would like to be added to my waitlist, please email studio@laurenphelps.com for more information.

Love,

LP

The Williams Siblings, 2020

BIG LITTLE MOMENTS

Dear friends,

As I welcome the new year, I am excited to share that I have added a sketchbook practice to my daily agenda. I am taking part in the Brooklyn Art Library’s Tiny Sketchbook project, and my contribution will be part of a traveling library of sketchbooks.

Titled “Big Little Moments,” my sketchbook project is inspired by our biggest little moments as parents and is a celebration of mother and child. Now that nearly 100% of my time is spent on client commissions, this has been a very special place for me to complete quick studies full of intimacy and emotion. I have also used this as an opportunity to experiment with new materials and work freely without restrictions.

It has been the most joyful experience of storytelling and creative expression. I am thrilled to share some of my tiny pages with you here.

Love,

LP

INTRODUCTION

Dear friends old and new,

Thank you for visiting my virtual home. I began this creative journey two years ago, shortly after the birth of my son. I was working as the COO at Brandon Maxwell after many years of owning my own fashion label. While pregnant, I began to feel a yearning for more creative expression and made the emotional decision to retire from the fashion industry and leave my work family. I had no idea what was to come, but I knew I was on the right path.

I began creating art with my mother as a child. Painting and drawing with my mom account for most of my early memories. When I was 28, I lost my then 48 year old mother to brain cancer. It was devastating, but it has led me down a path of love and gratitude. Now, my life’s work is inspired by this bond and I spend each day celebrating loving parents and their children with my art.

With each artwork, I am seeking to capture not only the emotion of a moment but the soul of each subject. If you are interested in collaborating with me, you may contact me here.

Thank you for trusting me with your most special memories.

Love,

LP

OIL STUDIES ON PAPER

Dear Friends,

I am currently offering the option for oil portrait studies on paper. I love creating these expressive little gem portraits. They are heirloom quality oil portraits on archival paper. When professionally framed, they will remain intact for countless generations to enjoy. For these studies, I work with your provided photos, which can be professional or your own snapshots. For more information, or to add your name to our waitlist, please email studio@laurenphelps.com

Love,

LP

MAYFIELD SIBLINGS

16 × 20 inches

ELINOR + LUCY

11 × 14 inches

KIMBRELL + CHILDREN

16 × 20 inches

CATHLEEN & CHILDREN

11 x 14 inches

SISTERS

8 × 10 inches

BROOKE + CARTER

12 × 16 inches

KATIE + DAUGHTER

8 × 10 inches

SIBLINGS

8 × 10 inches

NEWMAN FAMILY

12 × 16 inches

BROTHERS

ALY & CHILDREN

9 x 12 inches

ABBY & BOONE

8 x 8 inches

COREY & BABY

8 x 10 inches

MARY & CHILDREN

11 x 14 inches

GIRLS

8 x 8 inches