statement / biography / cv
statement
I grew up in a house of stone in rural New Jersey. I landed in the Pacific Northwest in 1979 and was immediately drawn to the the Northwest's mystic landscape; the lush forests and stormy tides. Influenced by my surroundings, my drawings and paintings focus in on the immediate and intimate: feathers, stones and nests; narrative compositions that invite the viewer to imagine the before and after; the moment a feather falls, a stone tumbles or a flower turns to seed.
I also draw inspiration from childhood memories—a pet baby blue jay found by my grandfather; roaming the woods and watershed that surrounded my home; or closely examining the delicate bleeding hearts, lily of the valley and mountain laurel in my grandmother’s garden. Bringing the past into the present, each work is an observation on life's fleeting moments and the passage of time.
A self-taught artist, I worked in graphic design for 45 years. Now retired, I spend my days in the studio amid feathers, stones, shells and objects collected throughout the years. Approaching each day with creative intention, I try to capture the world within a stone, the loss and longing of an empty nest, or flowers and twigs set in a not-so-still life.
about the artist
Lori Vonderhorst’s thoughtful compositions draw you into a world intimate with nature and abundant with personal symbolism. Her father was a printer and “ad man” and her mother a graphic artist, so she was surrounded by paper, paint and ink — materials that fed her creativity and define her still.
Born in New Jersey in 1958, Lori has lived in Washington State since 1979. She is an award-winning fine artist and graphic designer. Her work has been exhibited and collected throughout the US and in Canada.
“Lori’s work is thoughtful, introspective and achingly wistful.” — Deb McCarroll, author/artist
“Lori’s works are sublime meditations on what it means to be alive with the earth. —Lynda Sherman, Bremelo Press
“Vonderhorst’s paintings are especially haunting.” — Ron Glowen, The Everett Herald