Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Tompkins.
Hi Lauren, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My introduction to photography came when I was about thirteen years old. My family took a trip to the Grand Canyon, and my dad handed me his old Yashica Electro 35, a camera he’d picked up at a yard sale in his early twenties. I don’t think I ever gave it back.
I shot roll after roll of what were, objectively, terrible photographs. Out of focus, over exposed, and poorly composed. But there was one image my dad really liked. He had it printed, framed, and hung it on the wall in our home. That moment has been fueling my ego ever since.
Years later, I earned my degree in Art and Design Studies and began pursuing a career in art conservation and restoration. Looking back, I realized I had been moving toward the same goal from two different directions. Through photography I was documenting the passage of time and the landscapes around me. Through conservation I was learning how to preserve the objects and stories that time inevitably changes.
I have had the privilege of working with private collectors, galleries, designers, museums, and institutions to assess, preserve, and restore significant works of art. My work has taken me from conservation studios in Dallas to specialized projects in New York City and Southampton, where I’ve treated paintings and works on paper, advised on collection care, and worked alongside respected conservators on culturally and financially significant collections. Seeing first hand how vulnerable artworks can be to light, humidity, disasters, handling, and simply the passage of time has fundamentally changed the way I think about both creating art and caring for it.
Those experiences gradually reshaped my own artistic practice. What began as a pursuit of beautiful landscapes evolved into an exploration of change, memory, and what we’re responsible for preserving. My conservation background and years of documenting the landscape naturally merged, and today each continually informs the other.
I am now expanding that work into preservation and collection risk consulting, helping collectors, museums, insurers, and cultural organizations better understand the risks facing their collections before damage occurs. Rather than focusing only on restoration after something goes wrong, I’m passionate about helping people protect the artwork and histories entrusted to them through thoughtful planning and preventative care.
It’s fitting that my first experience behind a camera happened at the Grand Canyon, because decades later my work has brought me back to the Southwest, documenting the Painted Desert and other landscapes where time, preservation, and change are inseparable. Whether I’m standing in the desert with a camera or at a worktable conserving a centuries old artwork, I’m ultimately asking the same question: What deserves to endure, and what can we do today to help preserve it for tomorrow?
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a straight path. One of the biggest challenges has been pursuing a career that doesn’t fit neatly into a single profession and often isn’t hiring. I’m an artist, but I’m also a conservator. I work in preservation, yet I’m increasingly focused on collection risk management and consulting. Those fields naturally complement one another, but they aren’t commonly combined, so I’ve often found myself explaining not only what I do, but why it matters.
Conservation is also one of those professions where experience is earned over years rather than months. Every artwork presents a new set of materials, historical context, and ethical considerations, so there is no shortcut to developing good judgment. I have been fortunate to learn from talented conservators and to work on everything from contemporary paintings to historically significant works for private collectors and institutions. Opportunities to contribute to projects in New York City and Southampton challenged me to work at an even higher level and reinforced how much there is still to learn.
Building an artistic practice alongside that career has required just as much patience. There have been times when balancing a full time conservation role with photographing, exhibiting, writing, and developing new projects felt overwhelming. But I’ve come to realize those pursuits aren’t competing for my attention, they’re strengthening one another. My conservation work has made me a more thoughtful artist and my experience as an artist has made me a better steward of the objects entrusted to my care.
I have embarked on a path that doesn’t have a clear blueprint, but that is also what makes it exciting. Some of the most meaningful careers are built at the intersection of disciplines and I feel fortunate to be creating one that reflects both my passions and my experience.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My career exists at the intersection of fine art, conservation, and preservation. As an artist, I am interested in documenting how landscapes and cultural places change over time. As a conservator, I’ve spent the past several years working with private collectors, galleries, designers, museums, and institutions to assess, preserve, and restore significant works of art.
That combination of experiences has shaped the way I see both art and stewardship. I have had the opportunity to contribute to specialized conservation projects, caring for paintings and works on paper while learning from incredibly talented conservators. Working with culturally and financially significant collections has reinforced that preservation isn’t just about repairing damage. It’s about understanding risk and preventing damage before it occurs.
Today I am expanding that philosophy into preservation and collection risk consulting, helping collectors, museums, insurers, and cultural organizations better protect the artwork and histories entrusted to them. At the same time, my own photography continues to explore environmental change and the passage of time, particularly throughout National Parks and other environmental havens that may or may not have protection from more human elements.
What I am most proud of isn’t any single project. It’s that I’ve been able to build a career where making art and preserving it are part of the same conversation. Those two worlds continually inform one another, and I hope my work encourages people to think more deeply about what we choose to preserve for ourselves and future generations.
Any big plans?
I am wholly excited about continuing to build a career that connects art, conservation, and preservation in ways that aren’t traditionally combined. While I’ll always be an artist, I am increasingly focused on helping collectors, museums, insurers, and cultural organizations think proactively about the long-term care of the artwork and histories they steward. There is a growing recognition that preservation begins long before damage occurs, and I hope to be part of that conversation.
On the artistic side, I am continuing my long term photography project documenting landscapes throughout the US. I am interested in returning to the same locations over many years to create a visual record of environmental change, weathering, and the passage of time. It is a project that combines field research, photography, and conservation principles in a way that feels deeply personal to me.
I am also focused on continuing to expand my expertise in collections management, preservation strategy, and collection risk assessment through advanced training and collaboration with professionals across the museum, conservation, and insurance industries. As my career evolves, I am building a preservation and collection risk consulting practice that brings together my experience in fine art and conservation to help people become better stewards of the artwork and cultural heritage entrusted to them.
More than anything, I am looking forward to seeing those different parts of my career continue to converge. Whether I am creating artwork, conserving it, or helping others protect it, the underlying purpose remains the same; preserving meaningful objects, places, and stories so they can continue to educate and inspire future generations.
Pricing:
- Art Preservation & Collection Risk Consultations: Customized proposals based on collection size, scope, and travel requirements.
- Collection Condition Assessments & Environmental Walkthroughs: Priced per project.
- Fine Art Conservation & Restoration: Estimates provided after examination, as every artwork requires an individualized treatment plan.
- Fine Art Photography: Original works, commissions, and select archival prints available upon request.
- Speaking Engagements & Workshops: Available for museums, galleries, collector groups, and arts organizations. Pricing available upon request.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ltompkins.com
- Instagram: @artbylaurentompkins
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-tompkins-art-preservationist/
