Blurring the Line between Art and Architecture

Buildings and architecture have fascinated me for as long as I can remember. When I was eight years old, my father decided to build our family a new home on the lot next to our house. I climbed all over the project site every day, watching the progress of the construction and studying all the nuances that went into such a project.

As I grew older, I began to study architecture on my own, visiting construction sites when I could, and noticing more intricate details of design on buildings around the city. I knew this was what I wanted to study in college and when the time came, I chose to attend Kent State University for its strong, well-rounded architecture curriculum and popular study abroad program in Florence, Italy.

After getting my degree, I continued my travels around the world – sketch book in hand – visiting many parts of North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Observing the diversity in all these places has allowed me great creativity in design, impacting my professional career as an architect and later, my endeavors as an artist.

I have been an artist all my life. As my architecture career progressed, I began manifesting my artistic talents through sketching, painting, sculpting and designing furniture in my spare time. Three years ago, I established LRAart and began my Layered Vision series, in which I began exploring the concept of layers: layers in the natural and built environment, in space and time, in intellect and emotion, in synthesis, in chaos and order, and in simplicity and complexity. The flashes of light that appear spontaneously before me and inspire my pieces show strong traces of my architectural background in form, style, and execution.

Today, my experiences in art and architecture continue to influence each other greatly. I am more creative in both fields than ever before and thankful to have opportunities in both architecture and art. My work in each is better because of the other.

Do you let your passions influence your professions? I think this is the only way to love what you do and do what you love.

Lawrence R. Armstrong, LEED AP
CEO
p. 949.660.9128