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The
Haunting World
of Lori Earley |
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"Annabelle"
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Lori
Earley began drawing at a
very young age, and was always
intrigued by the unusual - a fascination
that would become a trait in her
art later on.
Her oil paintings are a unique
combination of classical realistic
rendering with a personal element
of distortion. Their distortion
is derived from her innate desire
to render the world she feels
as opposed to the world she sees
before her.
The figures she paints exist in
their own esoteric realm and time,
and each painting offers a glimpse
into their anomalous world.
We invite you to share our conversation
with this brilliant and inspired
artist |
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The
Dark Romance Q&A
with Lori Earley
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| Lori,
what were your childhood art inspirations? |
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I'm
embarassed to say that I didn't
have any. I grew up in a very
unartistic household and didn't
even know that much about art
or other artists until I was a
teenager.
When
I was a kid, I would just sit
in front of the TV everyday and
draw just for the fun of it for
hours. My obsession with drawing
was my inspiration I guess, since
I loved it so much. |
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| Have
you experimented with different
media? |
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| No,
just acrylic paint. I tried watercolor
once but it just led to me swearing
a lot. |
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| Did
you ever receive specific schooling
as a portraitist or as a caricature
artist? |
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No-
I actually studied illustration
in college. My teachers were all
influenced by the old masters
and taught us their classical,
realistic rendering technique.
Although I loved the technique,
I was
always bored with the realistic
subject matter and wanted to always
put more into my work than what
I saw iin front of me. I guess
that's how my style developed. |
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| How
long on average does one of your
paintings take to complete? |
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| About
a month unfortunately! |
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| Do
you work on multiple works at
one time? |
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| Yes
- in order to keep things moving
when I'm preparing for a show,
I work on them like an assembly
line - working on a part of one
while the other is drying. |
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| What
is your opinion of the traditional
gallery scene? |
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I
don't mind it at all- I appreciate
all different types of art. Even
if the subject matter is boring
to me, I can appreciate the technique
if it's good.
I
think we should have more underground
contemporary art galleries though
like there are in California. |
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| When
you won the Rhodes Award, did
you actually meet the President? |
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| I
think I did when I got my diploma
- I don't remember though! (haha!) |
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| In
your art, do you feel like you’re
expressing or illuminating a sort
of “alternate reality”? |
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| Yes,
definitely. Sometimes my paintings
seems to come alive when I paint
them - I feel like they are real
people sometimes! |
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| How
would you describe your influence
from or involvement in gothic
culture? |
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| My
art is actually heavily influenced
by the music of The Cure. I listen
to them a lot when I paint - the
atmosphere of their music helps
me tap into my own little world
better than anything else I've
listened to. |
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| What
effects are you most pleased by
your viewers feeling in the presence
of your art? |
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| People
are always telling me that they
see so much emotion in my work
and that it moves them in a way
they can't put into words. They
also tell me that my work really
inspires them and that they wish
they can live in my hauntingly
beautiful world that I've created.
I love getting letters like that
because it makes all of the hard
work and long hours worth every
minute. |
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| Is
there a lesson you’d like to impart
to your creative fans regarding
the best way to successfully make
their art known? |
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| Yes
- submit their work to magazines
and webzines. :) |
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