Discovering his love for painting as a child, Lavadour never completed high school, however he was encouraged by his family to explore his artistic endeavors.

As a child he was inspired by what he described as "The Sistine Chapel": the peeling and water stained ceiling of his grandmothers house, with its drips and exposed layers, a visual experience that would influence his work for the rest of his life.

A troubled teenager and a poor student, he focused on working at any job he could find: delivery boy, canner, janitor, carpenter, and even a firefighter.

[2] A hiker, Lavadour's exploration of the mountain regions of his home continue to serve as a major source of inspiration for his work today.

There's the flow of landscape and then the intersection of the architectural structure, which is just like being in a room looking out a window, with floors, angles, walls, doors, ceilings, pathways.

He also began to explore other themes, influenced by his interest in Chinese painting, abstract expressionism and jazz music (specifically John Coltrane), however, landscapes continue to be the basis for his work.

[8] Lavadour's process generally involves applying layers of paint, then scraping or wiping it away, performing his own form of erosion on his unique landscapes.

This exploration allows him to discover the physics of the paint - the way it moves on the canvas and its final form, over the color manipulation that many artists often focus on.