When Atlanta-based artist Lauren Lane began painting Flourish Anyway in early 2025, the world felt noisy and uncertain. “With so many voices and opinions swirling around, I kept feeling this quiet nudge to stay rooted and grounded in peace rather than fear,” she said. “I wanted to create a piece that offered hope in the middle of the noise, a reminder that beauty can still grow in uncertain times.”
The result is a luminous work that captures both strength and serenity. “To me, Flourish Anyway is about the unyielding resolve to persist, to choose faith over fear and peace over chaos,” Lane explained. “It is a visual declaration that flourishing is not dependent on circumstances but on perspective.”
Lane’s paintings often explore faith and resilience through color and organic form. “Color is one of the main ways I communicate emotion,” she said. “Even when a painting comes from a tender or challenging place, color helps me reframe it through hope.” In Flourish Anyway, the radiant leaves surrounding the figure serve as both protection and renewal. “Nature is a reminder of God’s presence,” she said. “It reflects growth, process, and renewal… The leaves almost act as a covering or protection.
Lane works primarily in oil, a medium that mirrors her contemplative approach. “So much of life today moves quickly, but working with oils gives me permission to slow down and be present in the moment,” she explained. Each layer of color was added only after the last had dried, a rhythm of patience that, for Lane, became its own act of faith.
Lane works primarily in oil, a medium that mirrors her contemplative approach. “So much of life today moves quickly, but working with oils gives me permission to slow down and be present in the moment,” she explained. Each layer of color was added only after the last had dried, a rhythm of patience that, for Lane, became its own act of faith.
When Flourish Anyway was chosen as the 2026 Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts image, Lane felt “overjoyed and deeply humbled.” The festival’s mission, she said, “aligns so deeply with what I hope my art communicates, creativity, diversity, and connection.” This will be Lane’s firt time presenting her work at the Festival.
Her hope for those who see the piece in Tampa and beyond is simple: “That they feel invited to stay rooted, to choose peace over chaos, and to believe that beauty can still grow in uncertain times.”
About the Artist
Born and raised in Georgia, Lane finds inspiration in the color and vitality of Atlanta’s landscape and people. “The diversity of cultures, the richness of the food, and the sense of possibility here all inspire me,” she said. She continues to evolve her studio practice, exploring ways to blend her figurative and abstract work.
Follow her journey on Instagram at @heylaurenlane or visit www.heylaurenlane.com to see more of her art.
