Local Artist, Lorene Ireland
Taking the Ordinary to the Extraordinary
by Joel D. Amos

Southern California artist Lorene Ireland will be exhibiting at the prestigious Laguna Beach Festival of Arts-Pageant of the Masters this summer. An internationally recognized painter and sculptor, she has been juried into both the Festival of Arts and Art-A-Fair in Laguna Beach for her sculptures and glass forming.

Earlier this year, she was commissioned to paint "Carlsbad Flower Fields" for the Carlsbad Sister City Committee to commemorate the 650th anniversary of Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic. The painting will be displayed in a permanent collection at the Karlovy Vary City Hall.

For the past five years, she has been the cover artist for the "Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch" souvenir guide, and has been selected to be a featured artist in the fall issue of "Art Doll Magazine" for her mosaic and glass sculptures.

A professional painter and sculptor, Lorene's current series of creations reflect her ability to combine ordinary objects with complex textures. In addition to her painting and sculpting, her talents include slump and fused glass, mosaic design, and art instruction.

In describing her art to her patrons, she said, "As an artist, I have explored many mediums and forms of expressions, from the most abstract to the traditional. I especially enjoy sculpture because it gives me more freedom to explore the many facets of figurative art."

"Once encrusted with mosaic, a mass-produced item immediately becomes a unique object, a highly gratifying transformation that, depending upon the scale of the work, may be effected within a single day," she said. "Thus objects quickly take on the presence of sculptures, their forms being made more eloquent through their interpretation in mosaic."

"My sculptures 'Sophia,' 'Inoya,' 'Audrey' and 'Celine' are my creations, a constant reminder of the female figure in its most feminine form. As a sculptor, I am able to create my own artistic figures and, with the use of mosaics, incorporate a very sophisticated and elegant piece of art. I am predominately focused on the Art Deco period, keeping my eye on the design and intricacy of the art."

"Each artistic figure has a face with the translucence of skin and a sense of inner spirit that gives each character and individuality. With Audrey and Celine, I have taken the mosaics a step further by embellishing them with a skirt made of glass that resembles that of fabric."

"With Sophia, because she is embellished completely of shells, she needed to be carefully conceived, designed, planned and executed for a really professional finish. For any mosaic artist, there is one important point to remember: the simple design is the best design."

"In principal, mosaic is simple to create: take various textures of ordinary objects and combine them with complex textures of relationships between glass, china, beads, sea shells, wood, and metal."

Her work has been exhibited in the Czech Republic, as well as New York City, Chicago, Scottsdale, Las Vegas, La Jolla, Carlsbad, San Clemente, and Laguna Beach.

Currently, her art is on display at the Grand Pacific Palisades Resort and Simic Galleries.

For more information about her art and instructional videos contact Lorene Ireland.

Lorene Ireland
www.lajollastudioworkshops.com
lorene@lajollastudioworkshops.com

619 708-1704