Lori Mattina

An illustrator and graphic designer for the past fourteen years, I have used my conceptual communication skills to create meaningful design solutions for many different clients. In 2010 after a health scare, I urgently felt the need to paint, and so began to concentrate more on my art. Since then I have discovered my passion in the emotional and experiential context of art, and specifically, through painting. My art is an expression of gratitude for all the natural beauty around me. Painting nourishes and inspires me, and I hope my paintings express that joy.

People who appreciate my art and design most often come to me because of my process. When designing I begin with “mind-mapping”, or free-associating with words to find interesting connections between them. Those ideas then evolve into conceptual sketches, which eventually become design solutions to achieve the desired call to action. As a painter, my process is much the same, but even more playful, free-flowing and organic, as I seek simply to immerse myself in pure inspiration. I rarely ever plan what a painting is going to look like, but instead start with a feeling or mood and express that with color and form, following where it takes me. I communicate thoughts and express emotion with color, texture, shape and movement– layer by layer until connections (or frictions) start to form and a story begins to unfold.

My paintings often change dramatically from start to finish, as they are a many-layered process of discovery. My "stories" are often inspired by nature and the simple beauty in everyday life. Watching my garden grow, biting into a perfect peach, soaking in a sunrise, or caressing my cat's cheek...  all inspire me to paint. The goal of my art is to savor the moment and share the beauty and gratitude I feel. Hopefully my art will connect on some level and bring joy to others as well.