I have been a portrait artist for as long as I have memories, but only now can I add that I am also an explorer. For years, my graphite sticks and bristol pad were part of my dress code to wherever I travelled. These tools were all that I knew, and I became resigned to the confinements of my monotoned regiment. This past year has brought me down an adventurous path and breathed inspiration into my passion. This inspiration came in the form of experimentation. I decided to make 2020 the year to explore color and mediums. I delved into gritty charcoal, vibrant chalk pastels, and rich oil paints to really understand the missing color facets of my portraiture. I hungrily dug my hands into piles of earthy clay and formed and built a new angle and geometry for my portraiture. I cannot tell you what this experience has done for my appreciation of art, but, more personally, for my creations. These experiences have helped me to bring deeper volume and personality into my work and really illustrate the great contrasts I adore. Not only has this experience enlightened my portraiture, but I now have found two new disciplines that happily compete for my attention. These days I am investigating even more artistic methodologies while revisiting old masters' techniques. To say I have a goal would be to undercut the journey, and my journey is to continually learn, incorporate and improve. In a descriptive sentence, I would describe my body of work as detailed and refined realism. Influenced by the intense contrasts of Caravaggio and the masterful painterly strokes of the masters, my figurative portraiture features an expressive dramatic simplicity.

I relocated to Gibsonia, Pennsylvania in 2016 and work and teach in my home studio. The lush verdant landscapes of North Park have captivated me and I find myself sketching under a shady tree weekly. I am a proud member of the Portrait Society of America, Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, The Pittsburgh Society of Artists, The Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators and the Cranberry Artist Network. I can be reached on Facebook at Climbing the Walls Designs, and Instagram at Lorrie.Minicozzi