Orpheus & Eurydice Painting

Ed Laurie is a London based, self-taught painter and musician. He started designing artwork for concert flyers and album covers alongside experimenting as a painter. Predominantly interested in Impressionist, Post Impressionist, Expressionist & Figurative painters such Cézanne, Van Gogh, Milton Avery, Nicolas de Staël he learnt by looking hard at their work and going to galleries to get as close to the paintings as possible: “... to see the illusion and simultaneously what makes the illusion” After developing more of a painter’s sensibility and moving away from what he found easiest – caricature type figures – he began working as much from life as he did imagination. “I started the painting in my head and would finish by finding something in life - a model, or a landscape or an image that best fit what I had imagined.” Subsequently a gallerist who had seen some of his early work offered to exhibit and since then, especially over the last three years, he has been also selling and exhibiting privately from his North London studio/flat, as well as other galleries. As A Musician “An artist of rare and exceptional talent’’ - Nigel Williamson, The Guardian For two decades Ed Laurie has toured Europe both as a solo artist and with his backing band Straw Dog. In 2008 he headed to America where he was signed by Beck producer Tony Hoffer. The American producer, who heard Ed's music online, oversaw his second studio album - 'Small Boat Big Sea' (iTunes album of the week) and the release of his first solo album - the highly critically acclaimed 'Meanwhile In the Park'. Prior to official label release 'Meanwhile In The Park' showed up on iTunes top 10’s charts around Europe with no hard sell, and featured the song 'Albert’ (iTunes single of the month). Inspired by Albert Camus’ visionary novel ‘The Outsider’, ‘Albert’ eventually attracted the attention of Camus’ daughter Catherine, culminating in a contribution to a new book about his influence on other artists. ‘Cathedral’, Ed’s third album was released with V2 and distributed in Europe. Critics drew comparisons to the Buckley family and Nick Drake, while a Rolling Stone poll in Germany voted it no 1 album of 2012. Set to a backdrop of brushed drums, gypsy violins and delicate guitar patterns this largely improvised work also drew a comparison to Van Morrison's debut solo album, as UNCUT wrote - 'felicitously recalls the instinctive feel of the blessed Astral Weeks.