Mark, I am glad that you got all the images of Lauren. She was a unique challenge to me as an artist. I have never known a model of whom it was so difficult to make a "likeness." I don't believe I ever completely captured her either on canvas or in a drawing. It was one reason I always looked forward to working with her. We talked about this on numerous occasions. There was a vulnerability in her that kept her features mobile. She was constantly changing in her expression. This mobility lead me down some powerfully expressive paths. I told her I thought she'd make a great actress because actors have that same quality. She had an inner life that kept changing and whose source I could never find to my satisfaction. And so I was only able to capture certain aspects of her. Never the complete being. Not to say that goal is ever attainable. No artist ever gets the whole person onto a canvas but there is usually a resolution that satisfies. I must admit I never had that with Lauren. I always looked forward to our next meeting in the hopes I'd get closer. Whatever fragments I was able to find are in the paintings I made of her. In this sense they are all works in progress.

I still think of Lauren often and miss her much. Her spirit has become part of my inner landscape and we still enjoy each other's company in that way. Know that both you and she are in my thoughts and in this way there is no end ever.

John Goodman

Lauren worked as a figure model for John on and off over the course of 6 years. She loved working with him and loved his work, preferring to trade her hours for drawings and paintings.

To see John's Paintings of Lauren click here.