Lauren Marshall – Cover Artist
By Emma Taylor
It takes a certain kind of artist to capture the essence of a place — to translate not just its sights, but its soul, onto the canvas. For Lauren Marshall, Florida’s Gulf Coast isn’t just home; it’s a muse, an ever-evolving source of inspiration. Her vibrant, layered paintings reflect the landscape in a way that feels fresh, modern, and deeply personal.
This spring, Marshall’s work graces the cover of Bradenton Magazine, a piece that embodies her passion for reimagining Florida’s history and beauty. But her journey to becoming a professional artist wasn’t linear. It was shaped by resilience, rediscovery, and an unwavering drive to create.
Lauren Marshall’s artistic path began far from the coastal scenery she now calls home. Born and raised in a small Kansas farm town, she lacked early exposure to the arts, but she never lacked creativity.
“It was still the first thing I knew to be true about myself,” she recalled.
From childhood, her artistic instincts were undeniable. She was painting murals on living room walls and sculpting intricate accessories for her Barbies. When Marshall was in the fourth grade, her parents found themselves discussing the “problem” of her doodle-laden homework at regular parent-teacher conferences.
“My creativity was just overflowing in weird ways because I had no outlet!” she maintained her defense with a laugh.
Marshall’s family, steeped in the medical profession, wasn’t quite sure how to nurture her artistic proclivities at first.
“This was before you could go on Amazon and just order an art kit,” She jested. But it was her family’s dedication to medicine that ended up leading her to the Tampa Bay area for the first time, and the salt-soaked scenery continues to move her and inspire much of her work.
When she was young, Marshall’s parents moved her family to St. Petersburg for a four-year period to complete their residencies. And though they returned to Kansas to lend their medical expertise to an area more underserved, those early years in Florida planted a seed that would later grow into a full-fledged career here for Marshall.
During her senior year back in Kansas, Marshall found herself itching to take her creativity beyond casual high school art classes. She took some dual-enrollment courses at a local community college and really began to excel in her craft. She loved the freedom and the discipline — learning technique and color theory. It wasn’t long before her work began winning awards.“My creativity was just overflowing in weird ways because I had no outlet!” she maintained her defense with a laugh.
Marshall’s family, steeped in the medical profession, wasn’t quite sure how to nurture her artistic proclivities at first.
“This was before you could go on Amazon and just order an art kit,” She jested. But it was her family’s dedication to medicine that ended up leading her to the Tampa Bay area for the first time, and the salt-soaked scenery continues to move her and inspire much of her work.
When she was young, Marshall’s parents moved her family to St. Petersburg for a four-year period to complete their residencies. And though they returned to Kansas to lend their medical expertise to an area more underserved, those early years in Florida planted a seed that would later grow into a full-fledged career here for Marshall.
During her senior year back in Kansas, Marshall found herself itching to take her creativity beyond casual high school art classes. She took some dual-enrollment courses at a local community college and really began to excel in her craft. She loved the freedom and the discipline — learning technique and color theory. It wasn’t long before her work began winning awards.
“My parents were like, ‘Okay, I guess you’re going to do art after all!’” she said of the turning point.
However, despite the collective realization, Marshall still took a path that many 18-year-old artists do and tried out traditional college first at Kansas State.
“It’s pretty crazy to move to Sarasota and say, ‘I’m putting all my eggs in this creative basket, and pay a very significant amount for it.” she said of the initial choice.
Marshall was studying creative subjects like French, Art History, and Literature at Kansas State, but when they ended their Illustration program the same year, it was the last straw, and Marshall elected to leave. She found a year-long program in Paris and decided to go.
Marshall spent nine months in Paris and three in Rome — training in the methods of Old-World masters and drawing inspiration from their original work. It was a far cry from the slideshows in auditoriums she had become accustomed to at Kansas State. The experience was deeply transformative for her.
“Having my mind blown by culture and exposure was exactly what I needed. It’s probably the experience that’s been the most informative of my current practice,” she shared.
Marshall was tempted to stay in Europe when the program came to an end. It was her new French and Italian friends who expressed their envy at her ability to seamlessly return to America — the center of the commercial art world — that encouraged her to return.
“This is where you learn to be great. The U.S. is where you can make a living doing it,” they told her.
It was on a trip to Disney World during her childhood years in Florida that Marshall visited Disney’s Animator studios with her dad. When he inquired about the best art school, Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota was the unanimous consensus. After her European training, Marshall was finally ready and transferred in as a sophomore.
“It was very different back then and so small. I think there were only four majors,” she recalled.
Unfortunately for Marshall, her post-collegiate years coincided with the economic downturn of 2008, making it nearly impossible to break into the art world.
“All the galleries I had lined up just stopped selling art. No one was buying. That whole year, not a single piece moved,” she recounted.
Like many artists, Marshall now had to apply her creativity to her life choices, and she pivoted. She explored different creative avenues, including event design, where she made a name for herself in the booming Atlanta wedding industry. But even with a successful career, something felt off.
“I wasn’t painting,” she admitted. “I was creating, but I wasn’t making the kind of art I set out to.”
Eventually, life pulled her back to Sarasota, and after years away from fine art, she faced a blank canvas once again — literally. With her children starting school, she made the decision to return to painting. Marshall dusted off her few remaining supplies and purchased new ones. She was pleasantly surprised to find that her talent hadn’t waned after falling out of daily practice.
Marshall’s paintings began finding homes with collectors, and as her confidence grew, so did her ambitions.
“Every time I made money, I reinvested in myself — branding, a website, better materials,” she explained. Slowly, she carved out a place for herself in the local art scene.
Marshall’s work stands apart because of her unique perspective on Florida’s history and natural landscape. While many coastal artists lean into traditional imagery — palm trees, flamingos, and seashell-strewn beaches — Marshall finds beauty in the overlooked. Her signature blend of detail and abstraction does more than paint a pretty picture. It tells stories.
This issue’s cover features, Sarasota Girls, which Marshall originally created for Sarasota’s Halo Art Show. The painting depicts four visionary women — Marie Selby, Eugenie Clark, Bertha Palmer, and Mable Ringling — whose mold-breaking lives helped shape the once small fishing village into the bustling hub of culture, science, art, and business that it is today. Marshall manages to capture their vibrancy and dissent with a beauty that we can all imagine would make them posthumously proud of the generations of young women they inspired.
It’s now been about two years since Marshall picked her brush back up, and her upward mobility in the art scene shows no sign of slowing.
“This is just the beginning,” she said, hinting at upcoming projects that will continue to explore Florida’s rich visual landscape.
Marshall’s work can be viewed on her website, laurenmarshallfineart.com, as well as her Instagram page, laurenmarshallart.
“SARASOTA GIRLS”
This painting honors four iconic Sarasota women: Bertha Palmer, Mable Ringling, Marie Selby, and Eugenie Clark. These trailblazing figures traded their conventional roles for lives shaped by the saltwater, leaving behind the comforts of their former worlds. Moving to Sarasota when it was still a humble fishing village, they took bold risks and reshaped the city’s future.
Bertha Palmer: Chicago socialite who, upon being widowed, turned down prince proposals abroad to move here & learn to ranch. She created new farming practices, was known to work alongside her workers, & a savvy businesswoman. She donated her estate which is now known as Historic Spanish Point. She is painted here dropping one of her famous diamond tiaras and picking up a shovel.
Marie Selby: Her orchid at her feet, she is dressed ready for any Sarasota outdoor sport. She preferred racing boats, fishing, gardening, & horseback riding to fancy parties. She is wearing driving goggles because she was the first woman to drive across the USA in an automobile! She too donated her estate, & was involved in supporting women in all ways – especially the arts.
Mable Ringling: Her support of the arts made Sarasota the creative hub it is today. She is holding a painting of the Ringling Bridge & a watering can. I myself was married at the Ringling Mansion, and graduated from Ringling College of Art & Design, so her legacy will always hold a special place in my heart.
Eugenie Clark: Aka the “Shark Lady!” Everything (almost) that we know about sharks is thanks to her research. She is the first marine scientist to study them, & because of her- the Vanderbilts built a marine laboratory here for her research. Today that lab is the incredible Mote Marine Aquarium! She is seen here tossing her heels for flippers.