"His work disarms by narrating vitally grown up and urgent allegories in the guise of childlike humor."
William Zimmer, Art Critic, New York Times
His animal work is full of charged meaning and lore, and is touched by surrealism.”
Suzanne Bellah, Director, “Carnegie Art Museum
“In many ways, it seems that Bissell himself is on a quest—to encourage us to reflect on nature as well as the choices we make and the roads we travel. He holds up a looking glass so that we can see ourselves through the eyes of a bear or a hare, and in the process he takes us to a magical place.”
Each wondrous painting
by Lori Preusch starts out the same way. With a dream, a vision, and a
planned escape into that all captivating world of the inner child.
But before Lori can
open the door to that world, she takes something special from this one. A
simple, sable brush. It was never designed for the harsh acrylic
paints she uses…let alone the rough canvas that it dances on stroke
after stroke.
Yet, with it she
blends precision with dexterity, which allows her to create the subtle
soft tones in a polar bear’s protective embrace or the gleam and light
that shines from the rainbow of colors surrounding a child.
By carefully layering
hue upon hue, Lori begins to build each story as it unfolds before her,
letting the paintings become what they want to be.
And, by the end of the
day, this once soft, silky brush is all frazzled and worn from use.
Yet, laying in an old
wooden box in the corner of Lori’s studio is another 3 ot sable
brush…just waiting for the day it is chosen to luminate the canvas and
bring to life one more treasured memory of a world where anything is
possible…and everything is magical.
