MEMBER SPOTLIGHT | MARCH 2006
Graphic Artist Laurie Chipman: 21st Century Renaissance Woman
by Marilyn Ebersole
A whimsical garden fence of shiny silver bicycle wheel rims delights visitors to Laurie Chipman’s Hyde Park pocket-size backyard. The enclosure, secured by a gate made from a bike frame, keeps her four dogs from disturbing the Master Gardener’s plantings.
Laurie, a member of AWC, is a graphic artist, a runner, a bicyclist and a serious gardener—pursuits qualifying her as a 21st century Renaissance woman.
Although she dismisses her love of bicycling as a recreational sport, Laurie does more than follow the Katy bike trail on a spring day afternoon. As a board member of the Missouri Bicycle Federation, she advocates for “Kansas City Bike People.” She also works with the MoDot (Missouri Department of Transportation) Bike Ped (pedestrian) coordinator in Jefferson City to develop bicycle pedestrian lanes on Missouri bridges slated to be rebuilt.
Laurie considers her recreational biking and her artistic career quite compatible. “Lots of artists ride bikes,” she said. “It’s a free-spirited activity. Artists are not real conventional. Some consider us rebels engaging in a rebellious activity."
Laurie knew she wanted to be an artist from the time she was in the 3rd grade at Roseland School in Roeland Park. “While I helped the teacher grade papers, I’d draw pictures in the margins of my classmates’ papers,” she laughed. “I was always the arty type. It was my destiny. My mother paints, my cousin is a Hallmark artist and my sister designs packaging.
“Growing up, I dreamed of being a magazine illustrator. I’d never heard the term 'graphic artist' until I went to K.U. It was there I discovered there is not just one way to look at things. When some one calls me ‘right-brained,’ I consider it a compliment.”
Laurie’s career has been one of a freelancer, almost since the get-go. “At age 25, I quit a conventional 8-to-4 job to work for myself. I guess I didn’t know any better at the time.”
Three years later, the artist took up running—and that’s how she met her future husband, Jeff Perry, who was also a runner. The couple still run and both use bicycles for transportation and recreation.
Laurie’s client list includes the prestigious Andrews & McMeel Publishing Company and Universal Press Syndicate. At A&M, she takes other artists’ styles (such as Mary Englebreit) and creates books, stickers and calendars. She also designs the A&M catalogs for retailers. At Universal Press, she is a cartoon colorist, currently coloring the line drawings for Popeye, Mutts and Sally Forth.
This versatile graphic designer also is proud of her involvement with the Kansas Municipal Energy Agency where she incorporates, photos, clip art and original designs for the agency’s informational and promotional print pieces.
Laurie puts her personal stamp on her eclectic pursuits, whether it is biking across Missouri to raise funds for MS, volunteering at area parks with the Master Gardeners or sharing her creative talents with AWC.
Posted 3/5/06