Lorie

Hi, I’m Lorie and I’m an art-aholic!

My Grandma Ann shared her love of creating with me when I was small, and it’s been part of my life ever since. She taught me early the best gift is something you’ve created with your own hands and put your heart into. We sewed clothes and dolls, we painted with oils, we crafted with clay, and the list goes on and on. Of course those memories are cherished and priceless! Most likely as a result, creating became a way for me to center myself. Even when I had my twins many years later, those (very) few moments during nap time were spent creating some sort of art…..it just kept me at peace in all of the chaos.

Unlike my uber-talented cohort Lindy, I never contemplated making a living with art. I grew up with parents involved in the entertainment industry (Novelists and Screenwriters Dallas and JoAnne Barnes) who, while very successful (check out books on Amazon) lived with uncertain income. I’m an artist, but also a pragmatist, lol...I went for the steady paycheck. After obtaining a degree in Economics, I joined the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in 1988. A shock to many who knew me, but because my father and my step-father had careers there, it really wasn’t that far of a stretch.

I had an amazing 20 year career with LAPD and an additional nine with Burbank Airport Police Department. Although I loved the work, two of my favorite take-aways were my husband and my friendship with Lindy.

Fast-forward to retirement! So about 20 years ago my husband took me to see his family and where he grew up in Hawaii. I immediately fell in love with the islands and the aloha spirit there.

Shortly thereafter, we made a plan to eventually retire there and in 2018 that dream became a reality! We live on the island of Hawaii (The Big Island) and it is everything we knew it would be. Dream those dreams and work those plans everyone, they can come true!

Back to art! Well, some things never change. I have my own little art studio now (ok, a room in my house) and I can now do what I love whenever I want! When the pandemic hit, I clicked on one of those dreaded Facebook Ads that seem to see inside your mind, for a watercolor tutorial by Let’s Make Art. I fell completely in love with watercolor and have spent most of the past year honing my new craft with every online tutorial, blog, tidbit you can imagine. I also discovered crafting clay floral art (see Loriesclayart.com) and the two passions seem to be complementing each other very well.

Lindy

What else would an art major, who had plans to work in an art museum or teach art, end up doing for living? Well, become a police officer, of course.

In 1985 I joined the LAPD and for the next three decades art was something I did in my journals, cartoons I drew for friends and family, and as I got older, I would seek out a weekend art retreats, but it was never the priority. How can something I loved so much be a passenger (many times in the backseat or in the trunk) and not the driver of the car? Bills to pay, family to take care of, novels to write, and all of the other commitments real life offers, is how art took a backseat.

In 2020, my favorite teacher since Mrs. Wexler (11 th grade Studio Art), offered a myriad of Zoom art classes because her annual art retreat had been cancelled due to COVID. Instead of art being a once and awhile thing, art became a weekly event, then a nightly event (one can only binge watch so much on Netflix). You’ll learn more about this phenomenal teacher as Art Square lifts off. Now I am happy to report that art is a priority. I’m building an art studio and art will never end up in the backseat again!

As you get to know Lorie and me (she’s the lucky one, retired and living in Hawaii) we will share more about our lives, but here are the important things about me: I’m the mother of a terrific daughter and stepmom of two awesome adult children. I’m happily married to a retired LAFD fire captain (who I met during the 1992 LA riots). We live in Central California in the foothills of the magnificent Western Sierra with a standard poodle named Lola and two cats, all of whom you will meet in our videos. I’m an author of two books based on my experiences as a homicide detective and I’m an amateur photographer, specializing in wildlife.

Although Lorie is constantly trying to drag me into her forte of realistic watercolor, I am currently exploring abstract art through mixed media.