Showcasing Fandom: Lara, Fan Artist

Today seems like a good day to put a fan and her talent under the blog’s spotlight.  As many of you might know, recently, I asked people who expressed their fandom in different ways from me to fill out a questionnaire.  Thankfully, many, many, many people responded and I’m so relieved.  I wanted to be able to show all ways that fandom can be expressed.  Our blog discusses a lot about touring, meetups, conventions, and social networking.  Yet, there are many other ways that people express their fandom.  The first fan who contributed was Patricia who is a member of a tribute band.  Today’s fan, Lara, is also creative as she draws pictures.  Duran Duran motivates her to create works of art!  How cool is that?!  As someone who has a mother who is an artist and wishes for creative talent, I’m envious of and appreciative of anyone who does!  So, let’s take some time to get to know Lara, why she expresses her Duranieness this way and her work.

How do you express your fandom?

Art.  It’s been a hobby of mine to draw the guys ever since high school.

Describe exactly what it is that you do.

I mainly do pencil-sketch portraits of the band members.  But I also still have paintings and ink prints I did for college art classes many years ago.  Lately though, I have had more fun manipulating DD pictures in Adobe Photoshop on the computer.

Why did you choose this means of expressing your fandom?

Drawing has always been a fun outlet for me.  I prefer faces and figures over landscapes or objects, so when I became a Duranie, the band members proved to be a big inspiration.

Tell me your fandom story.  When did you become a fan?  What drew you to Duran Duran?

During the spring of 1994, I was nearing the end of my 9th grade year in school.  On the bus one morning, something on the radio managed to catch my attention.  I had never heard it before, didn’t recognize the artist or anything.  But I thought the melody was beautiful and something about the vocals drew me in.  The little bit I could remember stayed in my head all day.  Luckily it was on the radio again on the way home from school and I was sitting next to a friend who knew what it was:  “Ordinary World”.  Later that same day I saw “Come Undone” on MTV for the first time.  From that moment on, I was hooked.  I spent the following summer catching up on everything and anything DD. I think my entire allowance was devoted to buying nothing but Duran CDs, posters, etc. for quite a while after that, too!

How else do you participate in the fandom?

In the early years (late ’90s for me), I participated in a lot of meetups in Missouri (we called ourselves the MODuranies).  I knew a few fellow Duranies in high school.  But we’ve all most gone our separate ways since then.  Also, unfortunately, I’ve only been to a precious few shows so far.  The bulk of my fandom has been undoubtedly online.  I’ve been a regular on the Lizard King message board for over a decade.  I regularly read a few others, and I have lots of Duranie friends on Facebook.  I wish I could devote more time and money into fandom.  I do still love to hang out with fellow fans in person when I can.  But life has a way of making me change my priorities now that I’m older.  The internet, though less personal, has been the most convenient way to participate on a regular basis.  

What has the reaction been to your art?  What do people think of your work?

Most people I’ve shared my artwork with seems to like it overall, I guess.  I don’t expect much since I draw mostly for myself.  But it is nice to share it with other fans.  I have gotten a couple reactions I’m rather proud of, too, though.