Bio
Lori Dorn successfully photographed actors and models in Los Angeles for twenty plus years. Staying with her love of visual beauty, now focusing on colors and textures expressing emotions in a new and more direct way. She creates something that seems familiar, abstracts reminiscent of nature’s elements & organic shapes. She works in acrylic with larger size canvases. In 2018 Lori moved from California to Santa Fe , New Mexico to continue her artist's journey .
Lori Dorn successfully photographed actors and models in Los Angeles for twenty plus years. Staying with her love of visual beauty, now focusing on colors and textures expressing emotions in a new and more direct way. She creates something that seems familiar, abstracts reminiscent of nature’s elements & organic shapes. She works in acrylic with larger size canvases. In 2018 Lori moved from California to Santa Fe , New Mexico to continue her artist's journey .
Lori Dorn’s Abstract Paintings Emit a Beautiful Sense of Eased Balance
Written by Anise Stevens
Tuesday, 14 April 2015
Last Saturday night, Wallspace held an artist reception for Lori Dorn whose solo exhibition, Now. You See Me, has been on view at Keystone Art Space in North East Los Angeles since April 3.
Dorn is a self-taught, abstract painter. Although she’s only worked as a fine artist for approximately five years, Dorn has always had a keen eye for perspective and color. For more than twenty years, she worked in Los Angeles as a well-regarded commercial photographer.
Interestingly, Dorn’s move into fine art began by her need for various backdrops to complement her photo shoots. Without giving the task too much thought, Dorn started painting large canvases that she decorated with random markings. Eventually, these works started to take on a life of their own, and it wasn’t before long that Dorn felt compelled to put down her camera in exchange for a paintbrush.
While Dorn was initially drawn to photography as a means for creative expression, painting has provided her with a much larger and more tangible means for communication. Working as a photographer gave Dorn a definitive outlet through which she could channel her artistry, yet it wasn’t until she started painting that she found a conduit worthy of providing her with such complete freedom for expression.
When asked about her process, Dorn admits that from the moment she begins working on a piece, she lets the painting reveal its underlying essence organically. As she applies her paint to the canvas to create new textures, Dorn works fervently yet with an unrestrained abandon that is, at its core, seemingly cathartic.
This is perhaps why Dorn’s paintings emit such an incredible sense of calm. Even though her palette comprises an array of bright and vibrant colors, her ability to produce large-scale acrylics that embody a complimentary sense of eased balance suggest that her process is indeed a vehicle through which she positively releases her emotions. And beautifully at that.
Dorn, herself, explains that “her attempt is to express pure emotion with colors and texture…. Using acrylic on canvas, [she’s] found a new and pure way to express [her] creativity [and] thoroughly enjoy[s] the solitary experience of starting and building each painting, [of] jumping in sometimes with only an idea of color to discover what transpires into composition.”
Dorn’s work has been featured in numerous shows including her most recent solo exhibition, Evolution, which appeared at Sundance Sunset Cinema in 2014. In addition, her work has been featured at Gloria Delson Gallery, Laguna Gallery of Contemporary Art, Long Beach Library, and LAAA’s Gallery 825, among others.
Now. You See Me is the fourth collaboration between Wallspace and Keystone Art Space, an industrial art warehouse and gallery space located in Glassell Park that houses a diverse group of artists and designers. Keystone Art Space, located at 2558 North San Fernando Road, is open Monday through Sunday, from 11 am until 6 pm. Ample parking is available free of charge, either on the facility’s roof or on the street.
While Dorn’s exhibition at Keystone Art Space is coming to a close, her paintings can be viewed at Wallspace, a unique salon style gallery space that features Dorn's work regularly. Please send all inquiries to Wallspace owner, Valda Lake, either by phone at 323.930.0471 or online at www.wallspacela.com. Just one half block south of Melrose, Wallspace is located at 607 North La Brea. The gallery is open seven days a week though hours vary.
Last Saturday night, Wallspace held an artist reception for Lori Dorn whose solo exhibition, Now. You See Me, has been on view at Keystone Art Space in North East Los Angeles since April 3.
Dorn is a self-taught, abstract painter. Although she’s only worked as a fine artist for approximately five years, Dorn has always had a keen eye for perspective and color. For more than twenty years, she worked in Los Angeles as a well-regarded commercial photographer.
Interestingly, Dorn’s move into fine art began by her need for various backdrops to complement her photo shoots. Without giving the task too much thought, Dorn started painting large canvases that she decorated with random markings. Eventually, these works started to take on a life of their own, and it wasn’t before long that Dorn felt compelled to put down her camera in exchange for a paintbrush.
While Dorn was initially drawn to photography as a means for creative expression, painting has provided her with a much larger and more tangible means for communication. Working as a photographer gave Dorn a definitive outlet through which she could channel her artistry, yet it wasn’t until she started painting that she found a conduit worthy of providing her with such complete freedom for expression.
When asked about her process, Dorn admits that from the moment she begins working on a piece, she lets the painting reveal its underlying essence organically. As she applies her paint to the canvas to create new textures, Dorn works fervently yet with an unrestrained abandon that is, at its core, seemingly cathartic.
This is perhaps why Dorn’s paintings emit such an incredible sense of calm. Even though her palette comprises an array of bright and vibrant colors, her ability to produce large-scale acrylics that embody a complimentary sense of eased balance suggest that her process is indeed a vehicle through which she positively releases her emotions. And beautifully at that.
Dorn, herself, explains that “her attempt is to express pure emotion with colors and texture…. Using acrylic on canvas, [she’s] found a new and pure way to express [her] creativity [and] thoroughly enjoy[s] the solitary experience of starting and building each painting, [of] jumping in sometimes with only an idea of color to discover what transpires into composition.”
Dorn’s work has been featured in numerous shows including her most recent solo exhibition, Evolution, which appeared at Sundance Sunset Cinema in 2014. In addition, her work has been featured at Gloria Delson Gallery, Laguna Gallery of Contemporary Art, Long Beach Library, and LAAA’s Gallery 825, among others.
Now. You See Me is the fourth collaboration between Wallspace and Keystone Art Space, an industrial art warehouse and gallery space located in Glassell Park that houses a diverse group of artists and designers. Keystone Art Space, located at 2558 North San Fernando Road, is open Monday through Sunday, from 11 am until 6 pm. Ample parking is available free of charge, either on the facility’s roof or on the street.
While Dorn’s exhibition at Keystone Art Space is coming to a close, her paintings can be viewed at Wallspace, a unique salon style gallery space that features Dorn's work regularly. Please send all inquiries to Wallspace owner, Valda Lake, either by phone at 323.930.0471 or online at www.wallspacela.com. Just one half block south of Melrose, Wallspace is located at 607 North La Brea. The gallery is open seven days a week though hours vary.