Laurie Speltz

Laurie Speltz grew up in a small rural community in Northeast Iowa. New Hampton was a great place to grow up. It was large enough to offer many opportunities, in and out of school, and small enough to enjoy the simple pleasures of good friends and family. Laurie grew to love art, drawing and decorating from an early age. Some of her most cherished memories were of decorating her homeroom for the Christmas open house. As High School yearbook editor she learned layout and also began to contribute her hand drawn cartoons. But as an avid golfer she graduated from College with a degree in Physical Education and for many years had little time to spend on her art. After many years of teaching and coaching, as well as spending several years working in sales, Laurie decided that art was her true passion and she began to study painting books and magazines and with her sister exhibit their painted wares at craft shows. They were well received and with Laurie doing the designs and her sister handling the books the business was steadily growing. A pivotal moment came when Better Homes and Gardens Crafts Group contacted Laurie and her sister about doing several patterns for their magazines, and the rest so they say is history Today, Laurie is a well known tole artist who has her own line of tole books, stencils and other painting related products. Today Laurie is still focused on new designs and is promoting the use of basecoat stenciling to give the artist more time to work on the details. You can find Laurie at many of the major painting conventions teaching and looking for new design ideas.