CREATIVE VERVE

An introduction of Lori Salisbury, painter extraordinaire

by DWAYNE K. PARSONS

Iarrived at the mountain retreat and home of world-renown artist and sculptor, Lori Salisbury, to conduct this interview and was greeted by the happy young pup, held in restraint by her master. It had just started raining again, but this beautiful secluded acreage was no less pretty. I was quickly ushered into a whimsical fairytale of a cabin through a foyer of large, exquisite paintings to a kitchen table, where Lori graciously poured us each a fine tea and sat down for the ensuing conversation. The dog quickly became friendly enough to lay its head on my shoe while we talked.

Stepping past the cordialities, I asked, sweeping my hand across the room, “How did all this begin?”

“It began with my Gramma; she and Grandpa Carlson lived above their clothing store and also had a cabin in the forest near Pocatello, where she spent time on the weekends. She loved painting in watercolors and had no fear about letting me try too. I was only 6, and though water colors were sloppy and much too fluid for a child beginner, I took to it like it belonged to me.

“By the time I was a teenager, I was painting in oils and showing at an art show with many other artists. A woman walked up to one of my paintings and said, ‘How did that wolf get there? There are no tracks in the snow!’ I hadn’t thought of that. But I took note and from that point on I painted tracks where they belonged!

“What that person pointed out was a gift, to me,” Lori said. “From that day on, I gave every animal I painted a way in and a way out.”

How many young potentials are destroyed by a casual comment pointing out a flaw, I wondered; but not this lady, who had determined at the age of 6, sitting by her grandmother, that she wanted to be a painter for the rest of her life.

In the presence of her very mature talent, I asked, “How do you achieve such depth in your massive snow scenes; the great expanse in your clouds? These dramatic scenes are so powerfully accurate, so alive and living! How do you do it? I see mountains, clouds, snow, even skies and water scenes, forests and fields … all are dimensionally correct, full of natural tones and right colors: all manifested in the controlled light from an imaginary experience. I sculpt with light and dark shades to create the same illusion in 3D.”

She shrugged, smiled, and explained the impossible task, “The closer the scenes get to the viewer, the darker and more vivid the illusion has to be. It’s a critical understanding that grows in you while painting 2 dimensions from a 3-dimensional world. It’s painting,” she added. “I’ve learned how to build the correct illusions over a long period of painting. It has taken a long time to develop techniques that solve various problems found in painting. How I place the animal is just one of those solutions.”

She’s not mimicking anyone. She is not painting from photographs. She doesn’t paint to please other people. She paints to bring out the inner dimensions of understanding herself and the world around her. This unique approach has given rise to an indomitable spirit where only she can please herself with the result.

“I am painting from my heart, not trying to please anybody.” When she explained that, I recognized the source of the intrigue that brought me to her paintings in the first hours of discovery. “I’m just bringing the night dreams and experiences I have to the canvas … sometimes over a long stretch of time. I may get a vision of what to paint, but many times it evolves during the process. I’m not painting for other people.

“Maybe it’s a latent need others have, but I paint for myself. I have to please me, and that makes me diligent. A story painting, like some you see here, may take years to come out. Dreams are never predetermined. They just happen. And that is what brings most of my art to canvas and clay. But yes, I do see the image in my head before I start.

“One thing I realize is important is that we are the only protectors of this environment for the next generation. I get really involved in every aspect of protecting Mother Nature and the wild animals that inhabit the natural realms. It’s what my work is really about: protecting nature and the many lovely creatures that live in it.”

It’s obvious when you listen to Lori talk about her work not being predetermined, because it certainly is not. She does not paint from an outline. Her images are born in the emotional, sometimes wise center of her being. They come from a place where she sees and feels these paintings.

“I’ve owned galleries in Rocky Mountain National Park, in Southern Colorado, and in places like that, along with artists of similar interests,” she explained. “Our work changed the outlook of a lot of people. We did fundraisers for wolves and injured birds of prey, so many people became more sensitive and outspoken in recognizing the beauty and the vital importance of its many creatures. My favorite quote is: ‘We have not inherited this Earth but are borrowing it from our unborn children’ by Chief Joseph Chasing Horse.

“I haven’t done that now for quite a long time, probably got a bit burned out from all the shows and attention they required. I was raising three daughters by myself during most of that time in Colorado. But I was painting to bring awareness to the natural world, painting about the importance of balance in the natural world.

“Right now, my art is teaching the fine art of style and knowledge. I have much to give too. I already have retreat cabins in the woods, with parklike pathways and trails established. And I believe more cabins are coming. I want to be the host of an artists’ collective and hold week-long retreats. The cabins would be the night quarters for artists who come here. I can even host music and writers’ retreats the same way. It’s all art!”

Innovation in tough times is not uncommon, but it is abundant in the hearts of many creative people like Lori. This is a woman who raised three daughters during most of her advancing early days of art and did it all from being a persistent, never-give-up artist. That’s part of the road to mastery.

In the beginning, for Lori, there were plenty of people who advised otherwise … she should get a job. But that’s almost an insult to someone who, from the age of 6, knew for a fact where she was going in life and never wavered from the vision, never hesitated, never considered failure. She knew who she was, and she knew where she was going. The rest of the challenge was just getting there. Is it any wonder why she loves an appreciative audience and has many long-time, loyal and lasting friends from her lifetime of pushing the dreams forward?

As an artist, Lori shares she loves the isolation of a private place, “a studio of solitude” as she refers to her home in the woods. For her, it is the sanctuary that gives light to the dreams and experiences and understandings she so needs to express. “All I hear up here is the songs of the birds, the breeze through the needles and leaves of the trees, and the creek that flows through my property. If I’m going to be inside, I want a big room with large windows that allow nature to come in and be part of me and whoever else is here.”

When she realizes that her efforts have contributed in a positive way to the advancement of understanding the importance of preservation of the natural realms, she is most happy with her journey!

Regarding where she works as a painter and sculptor, she says, “My work environment is very important. I can’t and won’t paint in a basement, not even a closed room or office. I need to be up and out, outside under a mosquito net if necessary.”