Art attracts us by what it reveals of our most intimate self. Lori Preusch’s paintings have the ineffable ability to touch people very profoundly. Her intricate details evoke intense responses as people acknowledge their own relationships with the world around them. Her images resonate deep in the soul and tickle sometimes long-forgotten memories and passions. Lori has been a recognized artist for decades. She discovered from an early age that she possessed an uncanny ability to inspire trust in all manner of living things. The joys of this realization are apparent throughout her works. She learned that her art could open the doors to her most cherished dreams and has sold paintings and taught art classes since she was 13 years old to finance her passions. Her artistic endeavors allowed her to purchase a horse she loved and fully support it. Today she is still an avid horsewoman and has found it is one of the passions that nourish her creative process.

Lori was born in Pasadena, CA and received her formal art education through California State University Long Beach. She earned a Bachelor’s in Art with an emphasis in printmaking. She indulged in countless blissful hours on the beach reveling in the openness and immense power of the sea. The influence of the ocean and the daydreams it inspires are apparent in her early paintings. Relocating to the Colorado Rockies expanded her repertoire to include the beauty of the nature she found all around her. Lori possesses an unrivaled talent to appreciate her surroundings and incorporate them in her creations.

Lori was not drawn to the commercial art world, instead preferring to be as independent as possible. She created Dandelion Press as an avenue to share her paintings in cards and prints on her own terms and retain her flexibility and freedoms. She steadfastly held on to her originals, only selling reproductions. After 26 years of delicately balancing artistic endeavors with the requirements of running a business, a mutual friend introduced her to Dianne Borsini-Burr. Dianne’s expertise and warm support have allowed Lori to focus exclusively on the creative aspects that bring her such joy. This partnership has been extraordinarily rewarding. In collaboration with Dianne, Lori has released her first beautiful book, Reflections of the Heart. She enjoyed selecting her personal favorite pieces, encompassing years of creativity. An eagerly anticipated children’s book with original illustrations is in development. Lori has discovered a newfound freedom to indulge in her passion and spends many hours a day in her Rocky Mountain studio exploring new ideas.

Artist’s Statement:
I sit in my studio some days thinking I must be the luckiest woman in the world to be here right now… I am making the choice between whether a particular shabby chair in a tree tea party should have a monkey sitting in it or a bear and what color the tea cup should be and whether the animal is reading a book while participating, or not wanting to participate in the tea party at all…or if the book is needed desperately to support the chair so it won’t topple over and fall out of the tree… This is my work; this is my world. It is the perfect place for me. It is a story. Yes, that painting tells a story. They are really only the story of my life… a child’s unlimited imagination that didn’t have to grow up. I choose to do it my way. Every day I go up to my studio and simply say, “Now, wouldn’t it be fun if…” – Lori Preusch

Brush

The Fable of the Sable – The Artist’s Touch
Each wondrous painting by Lori Preusch starts out the same way. With a dream, a vision, and a planned escape into that all captivating world of the inner child.
But before Lori can open the door to that world, she takes something special from this one. A simple, sable brush. It was never designed for the harsh acrylic paints she uses…let alone the rough canvas that it dances on stroke after stroke.
Yet, with it she blends precision with dexterity, which allows her to create the subtle soft tones in a polar bear’s protective embrace or the gleam and light that shines from the rainbow of colors surrounding a child.
By carefully layering hue upon hue, Lori begins to build each story as it unfolds before her, letting the paintings become what they want to be.
And, by the end of the day, this once soft, silky brush is all frazzled and worn from use.
Yet, laying in an old wooden box in the corner of Lori’s studio is another 3 ot sable brush…just waiting for the day it is chosen to luminate the canvas and bring to life one more treasured memory of a world where anything is possible…and everything is magical.