Born, 1972 in Meaford Ontario with Georgian Bay as an early inspiration, Lorrie now lives in London as a self-taught Freelance Artist in a variety of mediums including oil pastel, charcoal, acrylic & sometimes even vinyl.
Lorrie has been creating art on and off all of her life. An early memory was at her kindergarten orientation. She recalls, “I saw a long table with large easels and buckets of bright paint alongside. The teacher encouraged me to create as she met my parents. I painted a picture of my Alaskan Malamute and every corner had detail. I presented my work to genuinely astonished looks on all of their faces. I was hooked!”
Throughout Lorrie’s life she has been able to utilize her creativity in her many roles. It is only in the last 6 years that she has invested all of her energy into creating a practice centered around her large scale realistic oil pastel works.
About the Artist
Artist Statement
Lorrie is attracted to how light reflects off objects onto other surfaces, affecting their appearances. Those subtle details have a way of pulling you towards the artwork which is a compliment for any realist artist. Of her recent work, she has been inspired by the movement of water and trying to capture that energy and strength. Using photo references allows her to get the precise details that help to make the subject matter pop. She is most attracted to how light reflects off objects onto other surfaces, affecting their appearances.
Over the course of 20 years, she has independently sold her drawings and paintings to a number of clients in North America as well as the UK and New Zealand.
process
Her process with acrylic painting starts with a drawing and then an underpainting to get placement. White is then applied to the brightest areas of the piece to keep them clean. From there she begins to layer colour, going back and forth with different tones, blending sometimes with fluffy make-up brushes to get the right result. Once the image is completely on the canvas, it is meticulous work going over and over the piece, pulling the out the tiny details.
Oil pastel is similar to acrylic in that it starts with a drawing and underpainting but that’s where it changes. There is a versatility to oil pastels that allows Lorrie more freedom and ability to achieve a higher level of realism. She draws and blends directly on the surface, often using her fingertips to move the paint around. For finer details, she carefully thins the pastels out and easily applies it with small brushes.
Tools
“The older galleries show that my early work was mainly charcoal and graphite with the occasional acrylic painting. As I gained more experience through practice I found the most ease was with oil pastels. They have proven to be the perfect medium for me - someone that always gets her fingers into it. Pictured here are my retro Grumbacher oil pastels, no longer in production. They are firm like a crayon and I like blending with them directly on the artwork creating rich tones. I use Sennelier oil pastels most of the time. They have a lipstick texture which allows me to draw as well as smear with my fingertips which is great when you want to create movement. For the finer details, I thin it down and use a paintbrush.
