Lori Cusick

When painting en plein air — before I ever pick up a brush — I spend a lot of time looking around, settling myself to allow the day’s painting to reveal itself to me. Sometimes I’ll paint the big, wide-open space and other times, a tight, little spot. Once committed, I begin sketching directly onto a pre-toned black canvas, altering the scale and position of subjects to create exciting compositions. Eventually, my subjects’ personalities appear, and the real fun begins — applying color with swift, fluid strokes to bring my vision to life.

My goal is never to replicate, but to transform what I see into a vibrant, stylized interpretation that draws people in, engages their imagination, and allows them to dream a little with every view.

I paint because it grounds me. It’s my passion and my escape. Transforming that passion into art that brings people joy, and gives them a new perspective of the world around them, is my purpose and the reason I love what I do.