Enigmatic. Mysterious. Alluring. Intriguing. Words we happily use on a daily basis to describe the paintings of artist Lorraine Christie whose collection of new works we're excited to debut at Huff Harrington Fine Art on Friday, February 9th.
We're still just as starstruck by her luminous and rich paintings as we were when we hung the very first piece on our gallery walls more than ten years ago. And here to whet your appetite are three paintings that we'll be featuring in the show. The remaining images will be live on our site Thursday, November 8th at 8 p.m. and of course you can view them in person on Friday, February 9th.
There's much to love about Lorraine's paintings, but we're especially drawn to her thoughtful and provocative titles that so cleverly conceal the real story in the painting. She's one of the only artists we know who titles their work first and then paints to the title. And our favorites are the ones that are beguiling and a little misleading with a clever little twist that adds to the mystery of the painting.
Then there's the pure magic Christie creates on the canvas. Her pieces are gorgeously and intuitively painted with technical precision. Lorraine’s a master of portraying light – and her ability to work depth and proportion into her paintings is uncanny.
We are pretty sure that the most appealing part of Lorraine’s work is the raw emotion she incorporates into each and every piece. It’s mostly a story of love – but sometimes, the paintings chronicle a symphony of human feelings, elegantly portraying romance and its near-misses, close encounters and chance connections. We loved what Lorraine told us a while ago about her take on love: “there are no guarantees that we can hold onto love. It is indeed elusive. And whether we realize it or not, we all have a memory or moment that we want to suspend in time and that we can re-visit for all eternity.”
How does she do it? She also shared this little tidbit with us: “I feel as though the thoughts just arrive and line up, just waiting to be created in paint. Each painting must be approached independently because it has a life and personality of its own. I do have my habits: I approach each piece head-on with the application of paint – I rarely sketch because the idea may vanish! Generally the figures come first, then the surroundings. It’s usually all happening at once. The element of light is extremely important and interesting to me – whether as contrast or as a soft glow. It can make or break a wonderful idea.”
If you're in town on Friday, February 9th, we welcome you to the gallery for a chance to say hello to Lorraine and enjoy a sip and a nibble. We'll be updating Lorraine's page on our site with available works as we get a little closer to the show - but in the meantime, let your imagination run wild with the possibilities her gorgeous work inspires.
Ta ta.
