First, I will answer the name question. The name of Lollipop Art Productions came from my mother. She is quite a character, but also has this heavy Massachusetts accent. She couldn't quite say my name right, as it is "LORI", and it always and still does sound quite a bit like "LAUURRY" when she says it. As a little girl, she called me her "Lollipop pie" (don't ask) and Lollipop sort of sounded like her rendition of my name pronunciation, so it worked. When it came time to name my business, it was an obvious choice, Lollipop it was!

Art has always been in my life. My father is an amazing artist and his influence has encouraged me as a youth and also an adult. He encouraged me to show my work at a young age, and I became the recipient of two ribbons by the age of 11. I continued to win other art competitions in my youth, however, unfortunately, I was also an average teenager. Art was always my favorite class in school, but I let it slip away.

I have remained true to my creative self most of my adult life by refusing to follow the norm, instead following the beat of my own drum. I started painting again in 1997 after a good friend encouraged me to take courses in Graphic Arts. The curriculum included classes in both 2-D design and painting. It didn't take me long to remember that I loved to paint.

The last five years have been a wild ride as I have been evolving and growing with my work. I re-discovered the passion for art that I loved so much when I was young. Once again, my parents encouraged me to show my work, and I gained confidence after being awarded a Blue Ribbon for “Frenzied Feline” in a community art show in 2001.

" The Progression of Lollipop"

In 2001, I established Lollipop Art Productions. I am now successfully showing my work in New England, and have sold my work nationally. As an artist, I am mostly self-taught except for some pointers from dad and a few art classes in the 90s. I believe this keeps my style free of rules and expectations.

My work has evolved over the years into a unique painting style with chunky brush strokes, and a buildup of paint as well as a wet-in-wet painting style that allows the canvas to almost become a work of sculpture. My distinct palette of bright colored works; all diverse in content makes my work a conversation piece.

At the end of 2002, I had the opportunity to intern with body-casting Artist, Lea Cutter and assisted in the further development of the "I Am Project," including co-creating a business plan for the “I Am Collaborative.”

My art business, Lollipop Art Productions has also grown during this period. I am currently managing art space for three area businesses.

In 2003, I began working with Casco Bay Frames in Portland, Maine as their "Gallery Administrator." I promoted all original art exhibits for the shop's gallery and orchestrated all the First Friday Artwalk Openings. This was an excellent opportunity for me to work with Maine Artists in a gallery setting. This allowed me to network with several artists and offer them additional venues via Lollipop Art Management.

My work in 2005 emerged with new energy and excitement, reflecting changes in my personal and professional life. My latest work is a nostalgic series: Vintage Cars. Come see Mary Lou, a 58 Nash Metropolitan, Gloria, a 69 Buick, Peggy Sue, a 57 Chevy, Mabelline, a 59 Chevy and Norma Jean, a Pink Cadillac from 1959. Most of these vintage gems are framed in barnboard wood, which I found ironic since most of these cars can be found sitting beside an old barn or in someone’s back yard! I have a passion for art that is represented in all my work. I surround myself with creative people who are a constant muse of creativity, especially my boyfriend Rich who introduced me to old cars and made me fall in love.

2006 brought great publicity to Lollipop & the new vintage car series as we were featured in The Portland Phoenix series Art Mingling. Art Mingling was hosted by Portland's Slainte Bar and the work continues to be exhibited through APRIL. The Vintage Car series was also featured in an article in the Munjoy Hill Observer. 2006 brings new life to Lollipop as I am adding Wet Paint! Studios to the mix. Wet Paint! Studios will focus on the new artwork, while Lollipop will remain focused on Art Space Management. Wet Paint! Studios and Lollipop Art Productions will have a new website, a new logo, and some pizazz to spice it up.

2007-Wow, what a year. The commissions from 2006 kept coming, and I was busy through April when I flew out of wintery Maine for my wedding on Catalina Island in California. Although the wedding was a bit of a diversion from painting, I came back completely inspired and energized for the rest of my year. 2007 introduced Cat Cards which were a huge hit, for a matter of fact, I keep running out of them as they are the single most popular item I sell. Car portraits and Pet portraits kept me busy for the second half of 2007 along with Lollipop Art Management & a whole lot of shows. Partnering with selling cards the Weatherbird, Three Ring Circus, and Casco Bay Frames has also been a positive experience. 2007 was also the year of getting started on Ebay, featuring a weekly Cat Painting with proceeds going to help a cat related charity. The year finished with a string of commisions, holiday shows, and a promising 2008.

2008, Wow, it's November 1 as I write this and I can't really tell you where this year went. My year was strong for art from the start with lots of trade through my barter network and commissions right off the bat continuing through the year. Not only was I busy painting for inventory and customer orders, I installed some great shows with some very talented artists under the Lollipop Art Productions umbrella this year at both Lifeworks Chiropractic and Biddeford Savings Bank. Starting SKG (an artist co-op that is member supported) has been worthy with art showing since August of this year. It is the first retail space I have consistently had for my artwork. I am also involved with the marketing for SKG. With a few less shows this year I was able to paint more often adding new cats, dogs, figures, babies, and cars into my inventory. I'm not sure what 2009 will bring, but my art year has been fulfilling, gratifying, and a ton of fun. I can't end this without mentioning Stella, who was born May 5 & is just now 6 months old. She is a Mini-Dachshund (Chocolate Dapple) and has been to several art openings & one on the road art show for 2 days. She is the best art dog one can ask for. We love her so much, we are thinking of getting her a sister next year!

2009 has been a very challenging year for most people that I know, myself included. The economic downturn had an effect on the arts. I dove right into creating smaller, more affordable works. Mid-year I left the co-op and have been working hard to introduce myself to Artfire, Etsy, eBay and, of course, Twitter and Facebook! It has been effective and exciting to open so many avenues for my art. In a redesign of my daily (or not-so-daily) blog, I have included space for upcoming shows and recent art news. In addition I started quarterly newsletters packed full of information about my art, art space management, shows, and whatever else is new and exciting in my art world. 2009 brings a whole series of Corvette Paintings, tons of new mini cat paintings, and some new dogs for inventory. Pet/Car Portraits have been popular this year as well. With a few changes and additions to my studio this year, my workspace is more cozy… as well as efficient. We haven’t bit the bullet to get a second Dachshund, however, Stella has proven to be an excellent studio muse (sleeping) while I paint. I look forward to 2010 and all it will bring!