Premier Abstract Landscape Painter In Lakewood Center Gallery February 21 – April 15, 2014

Lori Latham, one of Portland’s premier abstract landscape painters, uses rich translucent colors to create visual texture in her work. She experiments with a variety of painter’s tools and the viscosity of the paint to reveal the landscape shapes as they emerge out of her paintings.

Latham states, “The initial intentions for a painting are rarely apparent at the end. I paint by following the flow of the paint to see where it leads me. Letting go of expectations and the desire of what I want is challenging, but the joy and freedom of ‘anything goes’ is worth the risk every time.”

Painting the landscape inspires Latham. The forms and colors are very soothing and meditative. Creating sense of open space in the painting with a place for the imagination to rest is important to her. The colors whirl around and come alive as she creates the rhythm and movement throughout the work. Latham works on three to four pieces at a time. “I often start with a photograph on the first painting and by the time I start the third or fourth painting in the series I may shift from looking at the photograph to using my intuition. Painting from my imagination is my preferred way to work.”

When asked where she paints she replied, “I always paint in my studio. Once I tried to paint at the beach and I found the entire process very frustrating. It is more productive for me to enjoy being out in nature, breath the air and feel the breeze on my skin. Relaxing in nature and taking in the way a place feels provides me with information later when I am painting.” Instead, Latham tends to photograph scenes that are inspiring. She notes, “There is a fine line between experiencing a place and absorbing the beauty around me versus photographing a place and being too much in my head. It is important to stay with the feeling of a place because I can access that information later when I am painting.”

Lori started painting in her early 30s as an interior decorative painter in San Francisco. When she moved to Portland she stopped painting interiors and started painting canvas floor cloths. These became quite popular at her Sitka Center for Art and Ecology workshops. Over the last several years she has evolved to painting small 12”x 12” abstract landscape paintings and now works on larger canvases. “The larger canvases bring me back to roots when I painted faux finishes in interiors.”

Latham has exhibited with LOCAL 14 for 11 years and several years with Portland Open Studios. She has shown in numerous shows and publications throughout the Pacific Northwest. Lori Latham was the Curator of the Art and Craft Fair in George Roger’s Park for the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts for three years. View more of Lori Latham’s work at the Art Elements Gallery in Newberg, Ryan Gallery in Lincoln City, Art etc.-Sales & Leasing, and Geezer Galleries in Portland. She is also included in many invitational shows, including the Sitka Invitational in November, the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts and the Lake Oswego Chronicle Invitational.

Pictured Above: Study #10, acrylic on watercolor paper; Study #11, acrylic on watercolor paper