Check out Lori Cusick’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lori Cusick.

Lori, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
For as long as I can remember, art has been my joy, my escape and my salvation. I was born and grew up in a small New York town; the youngest of three girls in a working-class family. I lost my mother when I was just 11, and I think that experience caused me to look at the world a little differently, observe it a little more closely than other people. I learned early on that things — and people — can disappear pretty quickly, so you have to take them all in while you can.

I was the child who always wanted the crafty, creative toys — string art, paint-by-numbers sets, macramé, a jumbo box of Crayola crayons — I loved them all. I never got bored when I was creating. My first official artistic recognition came in the first grade when I entered a drawing of a panda bear into a calendar contest for a national association — possibly the Humane Society — and I won. Although that drawing is gone (we were not the “save it on the fridge and put it in a box “kind of family), that little piece of positive encouragement, so early on, made a big impact.

As I grew older, art became my go-to in life — my way to learn and communicate. I found out early on that my brain was not one that excelled at memorizing things. I remember creating a poster-sized visual of the periodic table for middle school science class. To this day, I can tell you that Ni is nickel, with an atomic weight of 28. If I had a visual, I could learn. I loved art, but I wasn’t quite sure how to turn it into a career. I owe a lot to my high school guidance counselor and art teacher for nudging me into the commercial art program at Sullivan County Community College. That experience ultimately led to my acceptance into the fine arts program at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and my move to “The City,” which was a pretty scary endeavor in and of itself. Although I had lived my entire life only two hours from Manhattan, I had only visited there one time, on a school trip. How I got the courage to go, I don’t know. But I did.

The experience at Pratt was life altering for me, as a person and as an artist. Instead of teaching “how-to” technique, Pratt encourages its students to explore different ways of expressing an idea. Color theory was not solely taught using charts and books, but by recreating the same artwork over and over, every week, using a different color scheme to change mood and the visual journey of the piece. Although we studied the great artists and their techniques, the teachers encouraged us to deviate from the norm in our work; instead of replicating classic techniques that had been done over and over before, to try something new.

My time in New York not only opened my eyes to the world, but also connected me to one of the greatest blessings and gifts of my life — my husband, Reggie Cusick.

I was waitressing at a diner when he walked in, sat at my station, and with a thick Arkansas drawl ordered an “English muffin with peanut butter, hold the butter.” We got married five years later. Who could resist such a wacky sense of humor? Over the years, Reggie has given unwavering support to my career as an artist, and learned, early on, that I expect honesty in his critique of my work — another lesson taught at Pratt. Most importantly, even after all of these years of marriage, he still keeps me laughing.

Reggie and I live in Dallas, where I work as a fine art painter from my home studio and, by day, am the design director at Private Clubs magazine. On the weekends, we load up my easel, canvas and paints, and head out to find some artistic inspiration — a field, a house, an animal staring wistfully beyond the fence line. Like I said, I learned early on to stop and take in the beauty and wonder of the world while you can. The difference is, I now don’t leave it to my memory. I capture it on canvas.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My primary focus right now is en plein air oil painting. Essentially, en plein air means that I conceive and create my paintings outdoors, on location.

Nature is very inspiring to me. When I’m outdoors, I am a sponge to the elements of nature — immersing myself in the environment — from the breeze to a bird’s song to the warmth of the sun. All of these sights, sounds and sensations affect me physically and mentally, and somehow magically wind up in the painting.

I am not a re-creator of existing places. Instead, I take inspiration from a location and reinvent it, adding a stylization from my imagination. Whether I’m painting a barn or a tree or a dog, I paint them in the way my mind sees their personalities. My hope is that I am creating pieces that will bring people joy and showcase the true beauty in this world. While I love to paint outdoors, I do retreat to my studio to paint portraits — not of people — but of their pets. I started painting pet portraits after my sister unexpectedly lost her beloved dachshund, Nelix. Whenever possible, I always try to “meet” my subjects in their home environments. By getting to know these amazing creatures, I can capture their unique spirits on the canvas.

Over the years, I’ve painted everything from dogs and cats to longhorns and sheep. It’s always an adventure. But, the most fulfilling part is that these paintings touch people in a way I never expected. People have cried when they’ve seen them; they’ve said they “got chills.” The fact that I can use my art to channel such love is an honor. As an artist, the greatest compliment I receive is when someone “feels” something when looking at my art.

I think one of the things that sets my work apart is my bold use of color and strong compositions. I have to give some of the credit for that to the many talented photographers I have worked with during my years as a commercial artist. They taught me how to take mundane objects and turn them into intriguing images by manipulating light, viewpoint, and framing. They also taught me to see how light enters a space and bounces around. As a painter, I take their lessons and add a few more things such as freedom to move objects and change scale, add texture, and pull out subtle hidden colors. But, again, I think art transcends technique. When people look at one of my paintings, I want them to feel something — to be a part of whatever is going on in the canvas.

What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier? I think most artists forget that doing art for a living makes you a small business owner. The key word here is business. That means every career artist has to have a fundamental understanding of bookkeeping, accounting, marketing, sales and good business practices. My advice? Find some way to acquire those skills — community college, YouTube, friends, family — or delegate the responsibility. But don’t ignore it.

I cringe when I hear the phrase, “You can’t make a living as an artist.” The truth is, you can. Imagine all the great works of art that were never created because someone believed that art isn’t a viable profession.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork? To view my fine art works visit loricusick.com, follow me on Instagram @LoriCusickArt or contact me at lori@loricusick.com

Contact Info:

• Website: loricusick.com
• Phone: 214-366-3464
• Email: lori@loricusick.com
• Instagram: @LoriCusickArt
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lori.cusick.9

Image Credit:
©loricusick

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