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Lori Earley’s work is dead sexy, a nod to classical portraiture fetishized for modern times. Her gaunt elfin women show their beauty, but not the effort that created them. They exude an ominous appeal. Earley remarked about her paintings, “I use my subjects as vessels for expressing my emotions. Being a woman predisposes me to use females exclusively for that purpose.” In her first visit to our fair town she brings a taste of her distinctly female style, which mirrors her moods and representation of inner self.
While working in her Jersey studio, Lori wrote me a bit about her upbringing and its influence on her distorted style. “I was actually a very happy child with a very conservative upbringing. I had an Italian mother and an Irish father who was a police lieutenant (talk about strict). Living in a small conservative town, I was always desperately searching for excitement and inspiration. When I couldn’t find any, I created it. Distortion quickly became a subconscious form of expression.”
Kirsten Anderson, curator at Roq la Rue, was drawn to Earley’s work after seeing only a two-inch illustration in “Juxtapoz” Magazine. She explained, “The enigmatic quality was striking and instantly touched me on a personal level.” Recently embraced by the Pop Surrealism movement, Earley transcends so called “Low Brow” and its masculine roots of cars and tiki chic while still remaining on the outlaw edge of art.
When asked about the advantages of being a female artist she said, “I haven’t seen any advantages or disadvantages of it, yet. I think we live in a time when women are taken more seriously, though there are still a few people out there who may be disappointed when they find out their favorite painting was done by a woman. It is a shame that throughout history, there were many great female artists who were unrecognized for their talent. I’m thankful to be living in a different era, and believe it will only get better.”
You can check out Lori Earley’s latest at Roq la Rue June 3 to July 1.
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