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LAURA WATSON
Laura Watson was born in Peterborough, Canada, in the heart of the lovely Kawartha Lakes region. She now resides in Toronto’s leafy Riverdale neighbourhood in a narrow 100-year-old house with her husband and six-year-old daughter, Posy. A childhood spent drawing, painting and making crafts out of kleenex boxes led to moody teenage years spent doodling pencil collages of fashion models and pop stars (Duran Duran!), which then led to the sudden realization that illustration was an actual job… and seven years of art school (York University for Fine Art and Sheridan College for Illustration). Since then, Laura has been creating lighthearted and whimsical illustrations, working with bright, textured swatches of colour, ornate vintage type and other collaged elements. Inspired equally by mid-20th-century children’s books (Mary Blair!), vintage Americana like roadside signs, surfer and Vegas kitsch, and random amazing thoughts her daughter shares.