Contemporary Artist Lara Lenhoff Wears Many Hats As A Painter, Curator And Philanthropist

TAMPA, Fla. - Dec. 29, 2018 - PRLog -- Lara Lenhoff is a South African-born artist living in Clearwater, Florida, in fact the colors in her artwork are an homage to her country of birth. She began her art career in early 2014 exhibiting work at The Misfit Gallery in the Bishop Arts District of Dallas, Texas. Being embraced by a curator there, Lara was inspired to create an abundance of art. "I've painted every day and night since then. Teaching myself how to utilize palette knives, I would spend hours incorporating the style while listening to music. Embarking on a creative journey with this style has led me to where I am today. I have found healing and effective coping strategies through the utilization of creative expression."

The artist is a philanthropist as well, fundraising for meaningful events, special projects and organizations worldwide. Lara has made it a personal mission to give back to her community in every way that she can as an artist. In working with local city officials and Cultural Affairs Departments as a liaison for the arts, Lara is able to curate shows and lend support to artists and photographers who share her vision of giving back to their communities.

Her company the Artsy Monkey provides opportunities to local and emerging artists to exhibit their work. Focusing on the concept of community engagement and being of service to those in need has given Lara tremendous fulfillment. "Coordinating fundraising events and bringing together other artists to get exposure for their talent is something I highly value," explained Lara.

The artist is now based in Clearwater, Florida having relocated from Texas, she has an upcoming exhibition in the Saint Petersburg, Tampa area. Lara recently became a resident artist with St. Pete ArtWorks Gallery in St. Petersburg, Florida and is also part of the Gulf Coast Artists' Alliance.

Painting live is a true passion of Lara's, she enjoys doing it at events to raise funds for the organizations that she works with, and she was recently painting live over the holidays at the Tampa's Makers Market. The event showcased 50+ artists & craftsman selling unique, hand-made gifts and Lara had paintings and art merchandise available. The artist has work on exhibit at From the Heart Gallery in Galveston, Texas as well as Art Space in Dallas. She will be debuting new work with the St. Pete ArtWorks Gallery on January 1st, 2019. Her artwork is versatile, but she developed a definitive style which can be interpreted as an abstract form of architectural structures. Lara explained that she is inspired by the music she listens to when working on a painting. "I feel the vibrations in the music and transpose my interpretations of the lyrics into visual pieces of art. I'm also a singer-songwriter and have been playing piano since I was 8-years-old."

Lara also has a line of art products and merchandise, her popular limited-edition soy candles feature art images from the early years of her work. They are excellent quality and can burn for several hours, leaving a lovely scent that will fill the room. Each candle has a unique image on it and they are available in either black or white glass, beautifully boxed. For more information about this fascinating artist, to learn more about her charitable events and fundraising, as well as curatorial projects, please visit http://artsymonkeyllc.com/