Lori Putnam

Lori Putnam (b. 1962) began painting professionally in her mid-30s. The feel of the paint immediately ignited her love affair with the medium and she knew there was no turning back. Putnam has studied with the country’s best. No stranger to hard work and dedication, she learned sound, foundational principles, which subsequently allowed her to explore her artistic path. When viewed in a photograph, her work may appear tightly rendered. But upon seeing it in person, viewers are instantly engaged by thick and expressive paint. Putnam is rarely interested in any specific subject. Like a magnet, she is immediately attracted to natural harmonies, rhythms, and patterns. She believes it is important to draw the viewer in, then let them explore her paintings. They become artists themselves for a brief moment and begin to see the world in a different way.

Museums, including The Tucson Museum of Art, The Brinton Museum in Big Horn, Wyoming, The Hockaday Museum of Art in Kalispell, Montana, Custom’s House Museum, Clarksville, Tennessee, The High Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, the Irvine Museum in California, and The Academy Art Museum in Easton, Maryland have sought out Putnam's works for awards, exhibitions, and/or permanent collection. The latest to add her work to their collection is the Irvine Museum in California.

In 2019 Putnam accepted an appointment as Vice President of Art Ambassador for a Colorful World, and travels to work with children living in less advantaged areas. These experiences shed light on what it really means to be an artist. Putnam says, “It is finally clear to me, why I am here on the Earth. Bringing joy and laughter in the midst of the most horrific of circumstances is the true reason I have been blessed with such opportunity.”

Putnam's landscape and still life paintings have received numerous awards from the nation's top competitions and associations. Among the most impressive are Salmagundi Club New York, Oil Painters of America, American Impressionist Society, National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society, American Women Artists, Portrait Society of America, and countless plein air festival awards. In 2021 she was awarded the $15,000 Grand Prize for Plein air Magazine's Annual Salon, as well as the People's Choice Award for two, separate paintings.

Teaching and painting on location have been a large part of Putnam's growth and success, having done so in more than two dozen different countries. The artist paints small to medium-sized works in plein air and creates large paintings in her studio in Charlotte, Tennessee.

* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16^th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.