Lorena was born and raised in Southern California, but left her home at 18 to study at the Sorbonne in Paris. Her first time away from home, after several unexpected overnight delays, she settled into a New York hotel room just before dawn, and woke up to discover that it was noon, and her ship, the S.S.France, had already sailed! Alone and frightened, with no extra money for travel, Lorena was faced with her first real challenge in life. To make a long story short, she got there just fine – with transferred passage to a cargo ship via London, one of only five passengers, and treated like royalty. "This", she states, "is the story of my life. A lifetime of unexpected challenges resulting in happy outcomes has given me a 'can-do' attitude. I have learned first hand that 'there is no bad that good does not come from.' I thrive on challenge - in art and in life." This attitude has led Lorena to consistently push her artistic skills into new areas, beginning with watercolor and pen and ink illustration, she has challenged herself to master as many new media as possible. The result is an extensive portfolio of works in watercolor, ink, acrylic, conte crayon, graphite, multi-media, printmaking, computer graphics – and photography. Her skill has earned her a place in virtually all of the juried shows to which she has submitted her work since returning full time to her art in the past five years, an average of four juried shows a year. Born and raised in California, Lorena spent three years in France, receiving a BA in French Language and Civilization, and later lived 20 years in Mexico, where she married and raised her three sons. She taught French at the University of Veracruz and Alliance Francaise, and later worked for a government research institute and master's school of botany, successively as an English professor, interpreter and translator, research assistant and graphic illustrator. Her translations and scientific illustration were published in a number of research journals in Mexico and abroad. Now returned full circle to Southern California, after a successful career as a language instructor and part-time artist, Lorena has semi-retired, and hung out a "new shingle": artist, writer, poet, linguist and photographer. She has published her first book of poetry, "In a Thinkle", and is working on her memoirs and several children's books that she hopes to publish. Lorena writes an Art About Town column about the Redding, California Art Scene for www.nval.org, for which she is currently website administrator.
The variety represented by my artwork in not the result of a vagabond soul, but rather of one who derives greatest pleasure in bringing together all the "colorful" experiences of my life into a single creation – one artwork at a time. I have been called a "colorist", however I enjoy the creativity of working in india ink on newspaper, the subtle communication of white-on-white embossings, the textures of collagraphs, and the richness of printmaking inks in black-and-white monotypes, even as I continue to explore the possibities of watercolors. I am currently working on projects to combine my poetry and art. My portfolio is like a kaleidscope to which I'm continually adding pieces in order to delight in the ever-changing results as I watch it turn. I become the fascinated observer as much as the creator. If there is any concept that defines my art, it is the spirit behind it, more than a specific subject matter or technique. It is a reflection of a favorite saying that I had while growing up: "The fabric of existence weaves itself whole". I believe in the Whole. I find my delight in the 'weaving'. Like a bird preparing his nest, I gather every bit of fabric I find, no matter what size, shape or material, with one goal in mind - to make a beautiful nest. What inspires me is the challenge!
Shasta County Arts Council and North Valley Art League, Redding, California
Board member and 3-year Publicity Chairman, North Valley Art League
Awards and Exhibits: Lorena has exhibited at the California Modern Art Gallery, San Francisco; Main Street Gallery and Prima Donas Gift Boutique, Weaverville, CA; Art Walk on the Bay, San Diego; and at the Civic Center, Shasta College Art Gallery, Picture This Frame Shop and Gallery, and North Valley Art League in Redding, CA. Between 2002 and 2007, Lorena received several awards for her artwork in the following NVAL Annual Juried Exhibits: Juried National Show, Juried Small Paintings Show, Juried Photography Show, and the Annual Juried Spring Exhibit at Shasta College Art Gallery. A one-person show at NVAL , "My Polyphonic Paintbrush" and a three-person show, "Earth, Water and Light…Three media, Three Voices", in Weaverville, round out her recent exhibit history.
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