There is an advantage to being a self-taught artist like Laura Caron.

“I don’t have to worry about breaking rules,” she laughs.

And because of that, she has created a unique — some say revolutionary — style that uses layered fabrics, paint and hand stitching to produce a three-dimensional quality to her work.

The portraits she creates come alive with a vibrancy lacking in more two-dimensional works, and that quality has earned her increasing exposure …