About | Lori Seward Fine Art

I hardly remember a time when art hasn’t played an important role in my life. As a child I loved horses and they were the subject of all my earliest drawings. My other fascination was with the ocean and marine life which, although only occasionally showing up in my artwork has lead to a 40+ year aquarium/reef-keeping hobby. My very first attempt at an oil painting (other than paint-by-numbers) was of an underwater reef scene. It was pretty terrible. Shortly after that I began taking art lessons from a wonderful teacher, LaVerne Arkenberg and my first oil painting done with her guidance (a mandarin duck) was much, much better. She was a guide and an inspiration for the next 20+ years.

Living in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky gives me access to a wonderful variety of subjects. From landscapes and wildlife to historic bourbon distilleries and beautiful horse farms, there’s always something inspirational to paint.

Vacations to the canyon lands of the Southwestern United States years ago made a huge impression on my art. Being so different from what I grew up with they have given me countless ideas and inspiration and became the main focus of my artwork for a number of years.

I have worked in many different media but oil painting and colored pencils drawings are my favorites. Most of my landscapes are done in oils while my still-lifes, wildlife, and botanical works can be done in either oils or colored pencils. Although it’s a much slower medium, I love the detail that can be achieved with colored pencil.