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We're proud to present an interview with the artist Lori Earley |
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I am honored and extremely pleased to interview Lori Earley, an exceptionally talented and wonderful artist. Lori grew up in Rye, New York where she was always fascinated by the unusual which manifested itself in her later artwork. Lori began sketching at an early age and in later years received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts where she had studied with influential artists like Marshall Arisman and Steven Assael. She received numerous awards and scholarships while in school and was one of the few students in her graduating class to receive the Rhodes Presidential Award for Outstanding Achievement. She first began exhibiting her oil paintings in 2004 and her debut feature article can be found in the March/April 2005 issue of Juxtapoz magazine, where her painting of "The Hunter" graced the cover. From that point on her art career catapulted forward. Since that time her eerily beautiful art has been exhibited in galleries such as New York City's Jonathan Levine Gallery and the Opera Gallery and California's Copro Nason Gallery…leading up to her first solo show at Seattle's Roq La Rue Gallery in June, 2005.
Lori, welcome to PlanIT 3D. I want to let you know right up front how pleased I am that you have agreed to sit down with us today. Your artwork is absolutely wonderful and I find myself fascinated by the eerily beautiful faces and characters that grace your artwork. Our families and friends are such a large part of our career since they are what gives us a home base from we venture out into our career paths. Could you let us know a bit about where you are living now as well as your family and how they may have influenced your artwork? It's funny because I actually grew up in a very un-artistic household. My sister was a tomboy, my father was a police lieutenant and my mother was an administrative assistant. Although my parents were always supportive of my talent, they knew nothing about art. I had no artistic friends or artistic people in my life either surprisingly. However, my father is an overachiever who is great at everything he puts his mind to, so he taught me the discipline I needed to be an artist. I was born and raised in New York, but I'm currently living in Red Bank, NJ. What first sparked your interest in drawing and sketching and how did it progress over the years as you grew? I began drawing as soon as I learned how to hold a pencil in my hand. The progression of my style came naturally to me- I had been distorting things for as long as I could remember. At the time I really began defining my style though, I was suffering from a lot of health problems. I think that the distortion was a reflection of how I felt inside translated into visual terms. What led to your attending the School of Visual Arts and did you find that it contributed to your feeling for art and the way that you express yourself in your paintings? I heard that SVA had great, professional teachers. I also wanted to attend school in the city because the city is so inspiring to me. All of my teachers were strictly into classical realism and the old masters, so every time I came home to paint in my own style, I felt like I was rebelling in a way against everything they were teaching me, except for the actual realistic painting technique. I think my style of expression always came from within and the distortion was an innate thing for me. Are oils the main medium that you use to produce your artwork or have you worked in other mediums. Along those same lines, how does working in oils contribute to the expression and feelings that you portray so beautifully in your paintings? When I first painted in oils, I hated it… I felt like I had no control. Now, I paint only in oils. They allow me to achieve the color richness and detail that I strive for to make my paintings look as realistic as possible. Color is very important to me- it can set the whole mood of the painting. No other medium offers a richer color palette than oil paint. I would imagine that receiving the Rhodes Presidential Award for Outstanding Achievement was a great thrill while attending the School of Visual Arts. In what way did this influence your work and career if any? It gave me a big boost of confidence because I had worked so hard in college and I was glad to see that it was recognized and appreciated. Your artwork and characters are so moving and unique. What influences you in the creative process and what led to the beautiful form your artwork takes? I can be influenced by many different things- a person, a great movie, a song, a life experience, etc. For the most part though my inspiration comes from the inside out as opposed to the outside in, and I'm just painting out of pure emotion. Have you ever worked in Digital Art and if so how did you find that it compared to the feeling of creating with oil on canvas? No, computers and I don't go well together (haha!)! They frustrate me. Besides, I love the actual process of creating something with my own hands. It's bizarre because sometimes painting seems so primitive to me now that everything is done on computers! Some people look at my paintings and think they are digital and don't believe that they are actual paintings. They say, "You did that with your HAND?!" It always sounds so weird and funny to me. I have noticed that in your paintings, the eyes are usually what draw me in. They are so expressive and have a mystery about them that draws you in. How did this unique way of focusing on the eyes come about? I'm not sure, but I think it started with my Grandmother. Not only did she have the largest eyes that I'd ever seen, but they seemed to hold the world in them. She had a tough life, and it seemed like you can see everything she ever went through in her eyes. I was completely fascinated by them. It's like that old corny saying: "the eyes are the windows to the soul" - it's so true though.
When you first began exhibiting your oil paintings and then were featured in Juxtapoz magazine with your painting "The Hunter" gracing the cover, how did you feel and how did this influence, if it did, the direction that your career was heading at that point? I was so excited- I had no idea that I would get the cover. I'm really grateful to Juxtapoz since my career seemed to have taken off like a rocket once they published me! I know that your next show is going to be at the Copro Nason Gallery featuring new paintings and drawings that you have done. What is the theme of the show going to be and how many works will be on display? The name of the show is "Estranged". Because I paint in layers and with a lot of detail, my paintings take me a long time, so I will only have about 6 paintings in the show. I would rather have 6 great paintings though then 10 mediocre ones. Have you received any contacts made through your beautiful website and will we be able to see your new works there after the show? Yes, I've gotten thousands of emails and met a lot of new people since my website and work has been in the public eye. It's very exciting talking to other artists or fans. It's almost impossible though to write back to everyone since my painting takes up 95% of every day! Do you have any advice for aspiring artists concerning career moves and basically how to unleash the feelings that they would like to portray in their artwork? I think the key to portraying your feelings in your artwork is to be true to yourself and make sure everything you do comes from the heart. My advice for aspiring artists would be that talent is only part of what you need to be a successful artist. You must have dedication and self- discipline to make it in this business. It is a very competitive and difficult career, but nothing beats making a living doing what you love to do. How often do you paint and where would you like your career to move from this point? Are there any plans for other shows? Because I have upcoming shows now and my paintings take me so long to paint, I paint just about everyday, all day. I don't recommend doing that though- it's very unhealthy. I don't have much of a life now because of it and rarely get out of the house. I've had to turn down a lot of galleries because I just can't produce the paintings fast enough and want to start to have a life again, so I'm trying to take things at a slower pace. I'm booked up for a few years with solo shows, and some time next year I want to start working on putting a book together. Is it possible that the general public can purchase prints of your wonderful work online? Yes, they can purchase Limited Edition Giclee prints of my work through my website: http://www.loriearley.com Lori, I want to thank you for a really wonderful interview. It's been a pleasure to meet you and learn more about the feelings and inspiration behind your beautiful work! Please drop by any time; we would be thrilled to have you visit often.  You can see Lori's unique artwork at her site here - http://www.loriearley.com Please take the time to visit and enjoy the wonderful paintings. I think that you will find like I have that her work is magical and inspiring as well as beautiful. I look forward to seeing much more of her work and again, thank you Lori for the wonderful interview. Kathie Berry a.k.a. Damsel |
