Lori Cusick

Oil Painting: Studio / Plein Air / Pet Portraiture

LORI CUSICK

For Lori Cusick, art is a sensory experience. As often as possible, she paints en plein air, meaning she conceives and creates her oil paintings outdoors, on location. Nature provides her with an endless source of inspiration when painting onsite and in the studio.

“For me, art is looking at the world or an object or an animal and experiencing all the wonders of color within it,” Cusick said. “When you work en plein air, you see colors differently. It forces you to paint more freely, to respond to changing light patterns, feel the wind blowing, hear the birds singing, completely immerse yourself in the environment. Everything going on around you ends up on that canvas.”

The one thing that brings her into her home studio is painting pet portraits. She encourages owners to share their favorite ‘crazy pet story’ and, when possible, arranges an in-person meeting with the subject. By getting to know these amazing creatures, Cusick can better capture their unique spirits on canvas.

“When I paint a dog or a horse or a tree, I’m not painting them in meticulous, photographic detail. I paint how my mind sees their personalities,” Cusick said.

Lori is active in the current plein air movement, traveling countrywide participating in competitions. Her works are in private, museum and corporate collections from Montana to New York and Europe. She loves to work with clients and designers to create the perfect piece for a space.

Lori makes a conscience effort to paint in an eco-friendly manner. Using Items that are environmentally and socially friendly because of the way they are formulated, manufactured, or packaged. She insists on using only the highest quality of art materials.

Any day of the week she can be found under a big straw hat in the middle of a field, next to a creek or on the side of a road painting. Cusick resides in Dallas, Texas; a long way from the mountains of New York, where she was born and raised.

Beyond the two days of the Studio Tour, her work can be viewed online at loricusick.com and both online and in person at Dutch Art Gallery in Dallas, Giddens Gallery in Grapevine, TX, Your Private Collection gallery in Granbury, TX. Or simply contact her direct for a special one-on-one viewing.

RECENT AWARDS/SHOWS
• Sedona Plein Air, Sedona Arts Center, Sedona, AZ — 2025.
– Honorable Mention: Lucy and Snoopy – My Spirit Animal. Juror: Kelly Kane, Editor-in-Chief, PleinAir magazine.

• Plein Air West Reading, Art Plus Gallery, West Reading, PA, 2023-2025
– Second Place: Old Spring House, Juror: artist Ron Donoughe — 2025
– Quick-draw Third Place: The Way Through, Juror: artist Alison Shannon — 2025
– Barns of Berks Award: Worley’s World, Juror: artist Mick McAndrews — 2024
– Second Place Over All: And Then the Rains Came, Juror: artist Nancy Tankersley — 2023

• Frank Bette Plein Air Paintout, Frank Bette Center for the Arts, Alameda, CA — 2024-2025
– Award of Merit: Path to the Fog-kissed Bay, Juror: artist Barbara Tapp — 2024

• Plein Air Frisco, Frisco, TX — 2023, 2025
– Art that Speaks to Me award: Freedom Blooms, Juror: Stephen Ross — 2025
– Honorable Mention: Blue-tiful, Juror: Roseline Bodiford — 2025
– Best in Show: Silos by the Tracks, Juror: Cathy Cotter-Smith — 2023
– Honorable Mention: Bluebonnet Patch, Juror: artist and professor Cathy Cotter-Smith — 2023

• Farm to Forest Plein Air Festival, Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA — 2023-2024
– First Place: Urban Hay, Juror: artist Richie Vios — 2024
– Artist’s Choice Award, based on full body of work, Juror: attending artists — 2023

• Mckinney Plein Air, The Cove, Mckinney TX — 2024-2025
– Award of Merit: From Grain to Brew, Juror: artist Milessa Murphy — 2024

• Suffolk Plein Air Festival, Suffolk, VA
– Honorable Mention: Summer Twilight — 2023

• Women Artists of the West National Juried Exhibition. Awards Juror: artist Kim Casebeer — 2023
– No Place Like Home. Newton, KS. Cherry Art Award for Creativity: Taos Overlook.

• Plano Art Association, Plano TX.
– Celebrate the Arts. Third Place: Lake Cabin in the Trees — 2025
– Global Reflections 2024. First Place: The Secluded Cove, Juror: artist Suzy Jones
– Global Reflections 2022. Second Place: Flower Bike. Juror: artist Jennifer Siebert