Laura Hathaway (b. 1988, Birmingham, UK) is a contemporary British artist based on the Isle of Wight. Working across experimental painting, installation and collaborative public art, her practice explores intuitive mark-making, material experimentation and the relationship between creativity, people and place.

Laura graduated from Falmouth University in 2011 with a BA in Textile Design, specialising in hand embroidery.

In 2013, she was selected for the year-long Jubilee Stores Start Up Studio Residency at Quay Arts, funded by Arts Council England. Working alongside artist Howard Hardiman and supported by mentor Jonathan Parsons, the residency provided an opportunity to develop her early experiments with three-dimensional painting on glass. The programme culminated in the 2014 exhibition Line & Shade, also supported by Arts Council England.

In 2016, Laura received her first public commission at K6 Gallery in Southampton. The following year, she was shortlisted for a Jerwood Artist Bursary and presented new work in I'M IN THE GARDEN, a public installation curated by Jo Hummel-Newell and supported by Ryde Arts Festival and Arts Council England. Her illuminated installation Disorder II was also presented as part of Ryde's illuminated carnival programme. In 2018, she received further recognition from the Jerwood Charitable Trust, which nominated and shortlisted her as an exceptional early-career artist.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Laura received support through Arts Council England's Emergency Response Fund in 2020. In 2021, she was awarded a Developing Your Creative Practice grant from Arts Council England for I Grow, enabling her to further explore layered glass painting, sculptural forms and the relationship between light, transparency and space.

In 2022, Laura was selected for the Ryde Arts Residency, supported by Arts Council England and Ryde Town Council, where she developed Ten, a performance-based installation exploring intuitive painting and movement. She was also commissioned to create No Ball Games, a public artwork responding to Ryde's architectural environment, funded by the Arts Council Jubilee Fund and the Isle of Wight and Hampshire Trust. That year, she also received a fully funded photographic commission with artist Julian Winslow through the Isle of Wight Creative Network.

In 2023, Laura was selected by Saatchi Art and The Other Art Fair to present new work at the summer edition of The Other Art Fair in King's Cross, London. She also participated in Wish You Were Here, a group exhibition curated by Jo Hummel at Peer Studios during Ventnor Fringe.

In May 2024, Laura presented her first major solo exhibition and accompanying residency, DRIP SPLATTER SMEAR, at Quay Arts. Combining experimental painting, live working and public participation, the exhibition explored spontaneous mark-making, movement and music, inviting visitors to experience her creative process and contribute through a series of free workshops.

Alongside her independent studio practice, Laura has developed an extensive body of collaborative public art, working with children, young people and communities across the Isle of Wight. In 2023, she was commissioned to create a series of place-responsive public artworks with young people, supported by The Island Collection, IW CEP, Artswork, the Isle of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Lottery funding. Her wider public art practice includes large-scale murals, outdoor installations and co-produced artworks within hospitals, youth spaces and other public environments.

In 2025, Laura co-produced SHELTERED, a major public art regeneration project along Appley Seafront in Ryde, transforming 14 coastal shelters through murals celebrating the Island's marine wildlife. Developed through community engagement and collaboration, the project reflects her growing interest in how public art can create more welcoming, engaging and connected environments.

In 2026, Laura was selected as one of the commissioned artists for Landed, part of CAN YOU HEAR US?, a celebration of creativity and culture across the Isle of Wight. Commissioned by Isle of Wight National Landscape and Creative Island, funded by Arts Council England and DEFRA, and supported by English Heritage, the National Trust and Forestry England, Laura developed a large-scale, community-led installation at Compton Bay. Bringing together paintings created by children, young people and families, the project explored creative connections to the landscape through natural pigments, found materials and experimental mark-making.

Laura was also selected for the CAN YOU HEAR US? Cultural Leadership Programme through Creative Island, supporting her continued professional development, new connections and ambitions for future collaborative public art projects.