Meet Our Holiday House Artist Laura Oczos

Holiday House has landed!

This year we proudly partnered with Laura Oczos, an incredibly talented artist who created the bold and bright artwork gracing our Season To Spoil campaign.

The Australian landscape and the relationship between memory and retelling influenced Laura’s work of art, with vibrant colours, abstract shapes and a distinctly festive edge shining through. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do. 

To celebrate our creative collaboration, we caught up with Laura to chat about her journey to become an artist, her inspiration, and her holy grail hair heroes. 

Hi Laura, tell us about yourself.

I am an emerging artist from Wollongong, NSW. I had a 14-year hiatus from creating art where I focused on my career as a Special Education teacher, travelled and had a baby. Three years ago, as a newly solo parent with a newborn, I decided to make changes in my life and pursue the art career I had always wanted.

How would you describe your art in 3 words?

Bold. Distinctive. Whimsical.

Your use of bold colours and abstract shapes is beautiful. What influences your style of artwork?

My work explores how memory and meaning can change through retelling and remembering. I utilise various painterly and mark-making techniques to preserve these memories, which emerge as maps, like visual timestamps that I see as proof of my existence. I consider my paintings to be reimagined landscapes. 

Colour-wise, it’s purely intuitive, but bold and unusual colour combinations are my go-to. 

What inspired the piece you created for our Holiday House campaign?

The Australian landscape influenced most colours, such as the sap green that runs through the work. It also has a modern Christmas vibe with vibrant pink and orange.

How does it feel to see your art taking centre stage in our campaign? 

As an emerging artist, it’s an incredible opportunity to collaborate with a major retailer on a national campaign. The Hairhouse team were easy to work with and pretty much let me get on and create the work I wanted, which is rare with commissions and very liberating. 

It was also fun creating a work that was a little more decorative and graphic than I usually make.

What has been your proudest moment as an artist?

That would be stepping away from my full-time job as a Special Education teacher. I still work part-time but realising I can make a living from my art is an incredible feeling. It was also a big moment when I started referring to myself as an ‘artist’ and not a teacher.

What advice would you share with an aspiring creative?

A few things. Try not to compare yourself to other artists in your field and where they are at in their careers. I do this sometimes, and it just saps any feeling of joy or accomplishment. 

Promoting your art on social media is great, but remember that good art isn’t always popular, and popular art isn’t always good. Don’t worry too much about ‘likes’ and followers.

Do you have a stand-out memory of Hairhouse? 

When I first moved away from home to attend University, I started experimenting with my look and hair. There was a Hairhouse in the mall, one of the only places where we could get cool things done to our hair, like bright colours and different cuts. It was nice to have a place where you could go that was edgier and experimental.

What are your holy grail hair products?

I like clean beauty products, so I’m a big fan of the Kevin Murphy range, especially the Angel Wash and Angel Rinse. I’ve got fine, wavy hair that’s coloured, and this is great for reducing frizz and leaving my hair soft with more volume—it smells great too.

You can check out Laura's artwork that features in our Season To Spoil campaign in-store and online.