Meet Laura Luke- The pencil artist drawn to the quiet, intricate beauty of the natural world.

 Hello,  I'm Laura, an artist who draws exclusively with graphite pencil. A simple tool it may be, yet to me, it is everything. People often ask where it all began, and honestly, the answer has never really changed.  

‘For as long as I can remember, pencil has felt like home.’

As a child, I travelled often with my parents. My backpack was always filled with paper and pencils. They were the small things that offered comfort on extended family travels. No matter where we were, drawing grounded me. It was a way to express what words couldn’t, and to carry a sense of home with me, no matter how far we roamed. 

The pencil was meant to be the beginning... 

Do you remember graduating from pencil to pen at school? Getting a 'pen licence' was something of a rite of passage in our childhoods. Like most people, I thought using a pencil was just a warm-up, the rough sketch before the real art began. As I grew older, pencil made way for paint. 

‘Pencil was once seen as a starting point — a tool for planning, for practising, for getting somewhere else.’

When I studied Fine Art at Southern Cross University in Northern NSW, I trained as a painter, with a dream of becoming a professional artist one day. Yet after graduating, I cleared everything out — all the paints, brushes, and canvases — and kept only a small pack of graphite pencils, just in case. For a while, I stepped away from drawing altogether and explored other creative paths, including fashion design, graphic art, animation, photography and even naturopathy. 

When I eventually returned, I thought I’d paint again. But it was the pencil that stayed — quiet, familiar, and full of possibility. What was once a backup tool became the centre of my practice. Not because it was easy, but because it felt true.  

‘Pencil was no longer the beginning — it was the destination.’ 

Why I chose pencil as my art medium.

Pencil gives me space to be honest. It’s a medium that invites presence — not perfection.

There’s an intimacy in working with pencil. Every mark is intentional. Every smudge, every layer of shadow, is deliberate. It captures detail in a way that feels intimate, allowing you to see the hand of the artist in every line.

‘Pencil gives me space to be honest. It’s a medium that invites presence — not perfection.’

There is no room for error, you can’t hide behind heavy brush strokes and paint layers. Pencil holds its own through simplicity and skill.

It’s about revealing — softly, slowly, and with care. 

There’s something quietly powerful in working with a material that doesn’t shout for attention. It asks you to slow down. To look closely. To feel.

Nature, Stillness, and the Art of Slowing Down.

My drawings often focus on the natural world, calm moments, and the kind of beauty you might miss if you rush past.

What I love about pencil is how it holds space for both the artist and the viewer. It’s a slower, more thoughtful art medium. Each mark is made with care, and I believe that care is felt in the final piece.

My graphite drawings are often inspired by the natural world, moments of stillness, gentle presence, and the kind of beauty that’s easy to miss when life moves too fast.

I like to think of each piece as a small offering, giving the viewer a moment to pause, to breathe, and a reminder to notice the small details.

Quiet lines and gentle words of poetry.

Sometimes, pencil drawings say more than words ever could. However, at other times, I write a poem to accompany them, not as an explanation, but as a reflection, a companion, and a doorway into the feelings behind the piece. These poems are simple and gentle, offering space for the viewer to pause, to connect, and to feel something quietly personal.

Like my art, my poems mirror the same intention: to offer stillness, presence, and a deeper kind of seeing.

“Pencil art is beautiful because it’s honest, subtle, and deeply human.”

I choose graphite pencil not because its simple, but because it’s honest.

It offers stillness and presence, and serves as a gentle reminder that beauty resides in the details.

Pencil allows me to create art that feels grounded, intentional, and deeply connected to who I am. It reflects how I see the world: quietly, thoughtfully, and with care.

So that is who I am. An artist who has returned to her roots. Not because it was simple, but because it felt true.

x Laura