Lighthouse Lecture Series – Lauren Sinnott

Art is fun to look at but the story of why and how it exists can pull you deeper in. My life as a working artist has been filled with what people want in the modern era when photography abounds and nobody needs me to paint their portrait anymore. (Though some still do.) What are just a few of these commissions? Business signs and logos of course, but also tombstone design, a car hood ornament, the high school mascot of a grinning pirate painted on the gym floor, and an ornate baroque bathroom mural on the walls and ceiling of a tiny private bathroom.

Creative sewing adds another dimension because people need stuff related to their clothes. Not so much new garments, since the global economy has rendered garments made by cheap labor overseas more affordable than anything produced here. On the other hand, I’m really in demand because fewer and fewer people know how to sew. I hem pants, but also did custom-made boxer shorts for a client who hates elastic. I’ll show you the most awesome ensemble I ever created (for my wedding) as well as the Velvet Pelvis, a life-size, anatomically accurate female torso with removable parts made for a doctor to use with her patients. And there is the Velvet Vulva line of fine purses and other accessories for the enlightened boyfriend/husband, feminist, and psych professional market.

Come to the talk to see how, why, and where these works came to be, including delivery on bikes by kids. See the most bizarre mistake I ever made in a painting, thankfully discovered in time! Find out how my posthumous portrait angel of a local surfer came home again and what happened to another of the goddess/angels in my own house that relates to the passing of my beloved mom, with whom all this artistry started.