About Laura

Laura Rezac is a 23-year-old artist currently based in Southeastern Minnesota who specializes in acrylic paintings and digital art mediums.

She has been drawing ever since she can remember, but started getting serious about art when she was around fourteen. Since then, she has been trying out different mediums, finding inspiration, and expanding her passion for art. Her most used traditional medium is acrylic painting and she uses the drawing app Procreate for her digital work.

Laura grew up in Northfield, Minnesota and moved to Chicago to pursue her bachelor’s degree in illustration from Columbia College Chicago.

Her dream is to buy a Volkswagen bus and go on a solo road trip throughout the US (especially the western states) to do paintings of the landscapes and scenery. She has a goal to visit every national park in the US and create art for each one.

Laura finds inspiration everywhere and takes photos wherever she goes to keep as ideas and references for future projects. She has a photo album on her phone titled “potential drawings/paintings” that currently contains over 100 images she’s taken with the thought of turning them into works of art eventually.

When she isn’t drawing or painting, she enjoys hiking and exploring the outdoors, scrapbook journaling, and cozying up with a book, a puzzle, or a favorite TV show.

Awards and Recognition

  • Earned the Columbia College Chicago Faculty Recognition Award Scholarship for her art portfolio (2021-2025)

  • Two paintings won first place in her age category at the Rice County Fair in Minnesota (2022)

  • Winner of the “Best New Illustrator” ILLO Award at Columbia College Chicago (2023)

  • Nominated for the “Best Traditional Illustrator” ILLO Award at Columbia College Chicago (2024)

  • Winner of the “Best Traditional Illustrator” ILLO Award at Columbia College Chicago (2025)

  • Nominated for the Hollis Sigler Manifest Award at Columbia College Chicago for her “Keep on Truckin’” window poster (pictured above) (2025)

  • Nominated for the “Illustrator of the Year” ILLO Award at Columbia College Chicago (2025)