Unframed: Lauren Little

“I’m not always making art, but I’m always making something.”

For Lauren Little, making is constant. Cut paper collage has been her starting point since university, a medium she returns to because it’s where she first found flow. Over the past seven to eight years, her work has focused on who we were, who we are, and who we’re becoming, exploring those shifting versions of self through layering, repetition, shadow and light.

Always Never There by Lauren Little

Her latest body of work, One Step Closer, developed across collage, painting and works on wood, explores what Lauren describes as “the space between who we were and who we’re becoming.” Using sharp cuts, torn edges and vivid colour, the series looks at the fragmented nature of identity and the tension between control and chance. The collection is available to view for six weeks following the exhibition.

Lauren was born in London and raised in Canada, and now lives and works in London. She studied Fine Art and Education at the University of Calgary and has worked as an art educator, including lecturing at the University of Reading. Alongside her own practice, she is the founder of Dark Yellow Dot, an award-winning platform supporting emerging artists through exhibitions and collaborations with creative spaces across London.

We spoke to Lauren as part of our Unframed series.

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Why did you choose the discipline you work in?

Cut paper collage has always been my go-to. It’s where I first found flow, even back in university when I was making massive six-foot collages with tiny, detailed cuts. It’s just the medium that always brings me back to myself. Painting can be powerful, and I love it too, but it comes with more friction. Sometimes I get frustrated and need to walk away. But with collage, I rarely feel blocked. I can sit with it for hours and be completely in flow. That’s why it’s still the heart of everything I make, even my paintings begin as collages.

What’s your favourite medium and what keeps you coming back to it?

Ever since I could hold a pencil or a pair of scissors, I was cutting, sticking, drawing and making things. Paper crafts were always my favourite. Collage became my main discipline partly out of necessity. When I moved back to London, I was living in a shared flat without any real space to spread out or be messy. I didn’t even have a table or desk, and I definitely didn’t have access to a studio, so I started collaging on a cutting mat in my bedroom. It brought me back to that tactile, handmade process. Recently, my collage practice has extended into painting and installation work, but collage is usually the starting point. It’s the medium I return to again and again.

How would you describe yourself and your work?

I’m pretty laid-back, but have big ambitions. I love to support and teach others creatively, and that’s usually the type of work I gravitate towards.

The collection I’ve been developing over the past seven or eight years is about who we were, who we are, and who we’re becoming. Those shifting versions of self exist within us all at once, layered and stacked. That’s where the fragmentation, repetition, layers and shadows come from in my work. I don’t glue the paper layers down, so I can use shadows and lighting intentionally. That decision came about because while collaging, I couldn’t commit to a particular arrangement, so I thought to photograph a few different arrangements and compositions before picking the one that felt right. That became my style. I often take dozens of photos before choosing the final one, which I might develop further into a painting or wood print.

Can you tell us about One Step Closer?

I describe the series as an exploration of the space between who we were and who we’re becoming. Through collage, painting and works on wood, I’m looking at the fragmented nature of identity. I use sharp cuts, torn edges and vivid colours to reflect the tension between control and chance, order and disruption.

Not Hiding II Print on Wood

What’s your favourite time to create and why?

My favourite time to create is any time I can. I’m not always making art, but I’m always making something, a display, a piece of artwork, a digital asset. I’m constantly in creative mode, even when I’m not actively making an art piece. That said, the best time I get to create right now is when my daughter’s in nursery. I get to be in the studio three times a week, right in the middle of the day which suits me well.

What did you want to be as a child?

If you asked six-year-old me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would tell you I wanted to be a singer and a dancer. I wanted to be a performer. I really couldn’t sing, so I leaned more into dancing. I’d make up routines and teach them to my friends in the playground or at lunchtime. Even as I got older, that passion for dance never left me.

At the same time, I was always drawing, painting and doing crafts, or writing stories and plays. When it came time to go to university, I studied Art and Education and continued with Dance. Teaching felt natural to me too. I loved the idea of sharing what I knew or how I made something. I used to line up my stuffed toys and do the class register. So it was no surprise to anyone that I eventually became an Art Teacher.

What are you unlearning in your practice right now?

Right now, I’m unlearning the pressure to be tight and hyper-realistic in my paintings. I’ve always admired technical realism and wanted to master it, but I’m realising that perfection can actually hold me back. I’m learning to loosen up, to allow things to feel more painterly and expressive. I still know how to draw and capture a likeness, but when I translate that into paint, I sometimes miss the mark, and I think that’s okay. I’m working through it by de-skilling in order to re-skill. I want my work to feel nostalgic, imperfect and not overly refined.

One tip you’d give to emerging or younger artists?

Experiment. Try new things. Deviation is part of growth. Don’t box yourself in with a style too early. If you’re studying, make the most of your resources. If you’re self-taught, treat YouTube like your tutor. Educate yourself, stay curious, and apply to everything.

Your style can emerge from what you don’t have access to. Mine came from a lack of space, which shaped everything.

Glow by Lauren Little

Developed over several years, One Step Closer traces Lauren Little’s ongoing exploration of who we were, who we are, and who we’re becoming. Working across collage, painting and works on wood, the collection reflects a practice shaped by repetition, adjustment and attention to detail.

The works are available to purchase for six weeks following the exhibition with The Lemon Seed Project.

Instagram and TikTok: @artoflol

Website: www.artoflol.com