Creative cheer: Laura Fung’s artful pieces steal the season
Published:Friday | December 20, 2024 | 12:07 AMAinsworth Morris/Staff Reporter
As Christmas Day approaches, painter Laura Fung has been in high demand, bringing memories to life through custom Christmas ornaments and commissions. Since September, she has been fully booked with requests to turn cherished family photographs into painted keepsakes, including those that will hang on Christmas trees all over the world.
One of Fung’s specialities? Christmas ornaments featuring children and animals. These personalised treasures, painted on natural wood, are especially meaningful for her clients – and for her, too. “It’s always a lot of images of their children. The ornaments are always kids, babies and a few cats and dogs here and there,” Fung shared.
Speaking with Living, Fung reflected on one memorable holiday commission that particularly excited her: a painting of a father and son captured in a nostalgic moment by the pool. “The client ordered a 12-inch by 16-inch canvas painting of a father and son, an old-time memory of them enjoying themselves by the pool,” Fung explained. “That piece will take me around two and a half weeks to complete. Not a lot of people order bigger sizes, but when they do, it’s a more detailed and special project.”
Fung’s journey as an artist started when she was just a child, dabbling in arts and crafts. At the age of 10, her school teacher noticed her talent and encouraged her parents to nurture her passion. “My parents were nice enough to take that on and I was fortunate enough for them to purchase whatever supplies I needed to encourage that,” she said. “I would enter competitions and I would win medals for them over the years.”
By the time Fung was in lower sixth form, she began participating in local art festivals, fairs and group exhibitions. She later studied art at Adelphi University in Long Island, New York, and has continued to make a name for herself with her stunning paintings.
“For everything that I do, it’s service-based and clients provide pictures. They provide the photos and I paint exactly what the photo is. I do everything from the ornaments which people get paintings of their kids, their family members [and] their pets,” she said.
As Christmas approaches, Fung’s custom ornaments are a gift that many clients cherish.
In addition to ornaments, Fung also specialises in transferring her artwork onto water-resistant framed fabric and even bottles of high-end spirits, blending her passion for painting with unique, high-end gifting options.
With the rise of mass-produced, quick-buy gifts, Fung encourages people to support local artisans this festive season. “In today’s economy, everything is kind of mass-produced, fast-paced, it’s like a one-click, quick buy and this is something that is handmade, it’s a small business, it’s not something that everybody will have or be able to get their hands on,” she said. “It’s very intimate, unique, something that you can buy and hold on for memory.”
Fung’s artistry isn’t just about creating beautiful art – it’s about weaving the past and present together, preserving the people and moments we hold most dear. As her brushes work their magic this Christmas, Fung is helping clients hold on to their memories, one piece at a time.