Here Lauren speaks in her own words about the workings of her creative mind...

I have been creating art in various forms since childhood, it is something that has always been with me and I was scribbling nonsense squiggles in notebooks before I even knew how to write! Something else that has always been with me is the depression I have suffered from for most of my life and being creative allows me to escape the dark places for a little while and view glimmers of hope through the numbing fog that all too often descends. Because of this, I feel that my art is a vital part of who I am and I do not feel whole unless I can create something of beauty and meaning. For me, art covers many areas of life but the most basic definition of all is that art is whatever makes your heart and soul sing.

Ever since my early years I have always loved the worlds of fantasy and magic; to me these worlds are so much more important than the mundane, human-created world of concrete and steel that surrounds and suffocates us all the time, yet we often do not see them because we have forgotten how to look. This is what Lookinglass Works is about; it is about seeing through the veil that hides these other worlds away from us, like Alice through the Looking Glass. These worlds don't always show us things we would like to see, they often combine cruelty with beauty, yet we must see them, for our lives are about what we learn there and what it can teach us about ourselves and others. With my art and writing I try to bring these worlds back under our gaze, to let them unfold, to make them part of us all, as they should be.

My love affair with these worlds began with my first reading of C. S. Lewis' masterworks, The Chronicles of Narnia and Lewis Carroll's Alice books. From here I have journeyed the fictitious lands of J.R.R. Tolkien, Katharine Kerr, Charles De Lint, Clive Barker & Mervyn Peake, the artistic worlds of Susan Seddon Boulet, Tim Burton, Frida Kahlo, William Blake & Brian Froud, the standing stones & sacred sites of my ancient ancestors, the inspirational beauty of the natural world and the ever-fascinating workings of the human mind.

In the world of art I would say that my greatest influence is the work of Susan Seddon Boulet, a woman who, in my opinion, was one of the greatest visionary artists the 20th century produced. Her work encompasses Shamanic cultures and ancient goddesses, all crafted in the most beautifully detailed pastels. In the realm of literature, the works of Mervyn Peake stand out, his wonderfully descriptive prose, his sense of the grotesque and beautiful meld perfectly; to read his books is an experience for all the senses. I also admire Charles De Lint for his ability to create magical worlds that rest so naturally alongside our own.

Ultimately, most of my work, both visual and written, tends to create itself. I find that the more I think about a piece the more I stifle its true nature. My art is deeply personal - I am not seeking commerciality but rather an emotional connection with the people who view my work. I believe that this is the true role of art and literature in society, to provide a link to the spirit that is often sorely lacking and without which we become shadows of our true selves.