Artist Of The Week - Lori Earley

The Wish

This week we’re going to take a look at some pop surrealism from the talented Lori Earley. Born and raised in Rye, New York, Lori found her signature style of long-necked women with huge expressive eyes, in her adolescents. She attended the School of Visual Arts in New York where she trained in fine art, and it wasn’t until the early noughties did she become a professional oil painter, gaining recognition across America and abroad.

Lori is an artist who loves to distort reality. This style first began when she had a lot of health problems as a young girl. She feels she paints “from the inside out as opposed to the outside in”, meaning, every piece is based on raw emotions. She admits she doesn’t like to talk about what her paintings exactly mean, but gives us clues through the form of symbolism (and the titles!).

The process of creating one of her paintings is quite intricate. It begins with an idea, then sketches, then a photo shoot of a model to get the correct juxtaposition, then more sketching, then finally the painting. A lot of the women in the pieces are her friends, or people from the Internet and even people in the street who have allowed her to photograph them.

Artist Of The Week - Lori Earley      The End Of The Journey                          One                                                    Belladonna

Not only does Lori finds inspiration from day-to-day events, but also in fashion, especially from Jean Paul Gaultier, Jennifer Nicholson and Alexander McQueen. This is quite evident in the women she paints, as they remind me of alien-like, exaggerated high-end fashion models. Although the stunning detailed clothes that the models are draped in reflect the depth of character, the essence of her stories are told through the subject’s large eyes. She actually considers each painting to be a self-portrait, in a way, as they each reflect the mood she was in as she painted.

Artist Of The Week - Lori Earley

                       Angela                                             Regret                                               Drained

Lori’s work always has an air of mystery and romance, and besides the perfect detailing and technique, I think that’s what’s most enchanting about her work.

Your turn! What do you guys think of Lori’s art?

Big love,

Ivyology on September 5th, 2008 | File Under Artist of the Week | -