$10,000

You can’t talk about Dorland’s work without talking about paint itself and without talking about his wife, Lori. He paints her constantly, though is much more interested in capturing “the feeling” of her than a likeness. In 2011 Dorland had a Lori themed show in New York, where he was accused, by some, of “flaying her to pieces.[i]” But for Dorland, they are portraits of love and adoration. Whether viewers find them beautiful or grotesque, it’s hard not to be seduced by their over-the-top extravagance. Have you ever watched a young child with a can of whipped cream? The joy is contagious! In L.J.S, one of Dorland’s first portraits of Lori, there is sky-blue in her mind, blood-red at her throat, black worms squirming in her hair. She is primordial. She is of the elements. This painting is pure homage and reverence.

[i] The show For Lori took place June to August 2011, at Mike Weiss Gallery, New York.