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ART STUDIO

we the LIGHTLoriann Signori infusesher dream-like landscapeswith depth and emotion

BY JEANNE BLACKBURN

The first time you see one ofLoriann Signori's landscapes inperson, the contrast betweenvibrant color and soft shapesis riveting. The eye chases colors aroundthe canvas, reimagining what appears to bethere. As the artist says, her paintings "arean emotional response to the landscape."Part of that response manifests itself incolor. Then there's the luminosity—some-thing that Signori strives to capture in allher work.

"There's always a spot of light," she says,"a place that's more highly illuminatedand glows from within." A soft, ephemeralquality permeates Signori's landscapes,which may depict trees, rivers, orchards,fields of wildfiowers, the sun and occa-sionally the moon. Even when she paints

146 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 • homeanddesign.com

Signori plies hercraft in her SilverSpring studio(left), where shebrings to lifesuch atmosphericpaintings as (above,left to right)"Rothko Trees"and "SapphireTwilight." Shelayers media—oils,pastels, gesso andwatercolor—andglazes them, thenrubs off the layersof glaze to achievethe luminous qualitythat characterizesher work.

ART STUDIO

"Observing is the work;getting it down on canvas

is the relaxation."—LORIANN SIGNORI

distinctive subjects such as the PotomacRiver, she renders them in a muted,dreamlike cast.

The Connecticut-born artist has beenpainting for more than 30 years. As ayoung child, she loved being outdoors, andat 14 she began painting enplein air to sat-isfy what would become a lifelong passionfor the landscape. After receiving a BFA in1979 from the Swain School of Design inMassachusetts, she completed her MFA atAmerican University in Washington undera full fellowship.

Early on, Signori became infatuatedwith luminosity, studying the worksof 19th-century American landscapeartists Sanford Robinson Gifford andFrederic Edwin Church. They remainher primary sources of inspiration to-day, along with artists from the ItalianRenaissance and Washington's ColorField movement.

"Initially, I was taught the techniqueof allaprima—basically, 'put it down andleave it,'" she reflects. "But now, I reallywork the painting, applying multiple layersand scraping and sanding off before an-

other layer goes on." To capture light andcolor on canvas, Signori employs variousmedia: oils, pastels and sometimes evengesso and watercolor in a multi-layeredapplication that burnishes the image andcreates a depth of color that resonates.When she paints, Signori says, she sees andfeels color vibrations and tensions betweentwo or more colors, as well as the lightthat's always present.

She prefers to have two or three paint-ings in progress at once; at the moment,she's working on 48-by-6o-inch canvasesfor an upcoming gallery show.

The creative process begins outdoors.As she chooses a location, the artist isopen to how it might stir her feelings.Once she "absorbs" the site, Signoribegins a series of smallp/em air sketches—some value drawings, some in color withhues that vary depending on how the lightchanges. She takes notes on the colorsbefore her, and on her emotional responseto the scene. On one level, she says, beingoutdoors and taking it all in is a medita-tive process, while the actual painting isa release. "Observing is the work; gettingit down on canvas is the relaxation," sheexplains.

Once the drawing and note-taking aredone, Signori returns to her light-filledstudio loft located behind the Silver Springhome she shares with her husband, Dan,and several rescue cats. She tapes the

Signori's deeply felt creations include (above,left to right) "Exquisite Stillness" and "Melon-Colored Fog on the Potomac."

sketches to a wall for reference and beginsher new canvas. Each work starts with anunder-painting and continues throughmany thin layers of glaze, which are oftenscraped or rubbed off to maintain translu-cence—and multi-layered, like an opal.

At some point in the process, Signorisurrenders control to these dreamy scenes."I know only a piece of the goal; I let thepainting talk to me and it tells me therest," she explains. "Toward the end, thestudies (sketches) come off the wall andthe painting tells me when it's done."

Signori hopes viewers come to their ownconclusions when they see her captivatinglandscapes. "I try not to sway them or tellthem what to think," she says. "I'm givingthem an opening; the painting is an open-ing for them feel an emotion." •»»

Maryland writer Jeanne Blackburn coversart and interior design—and enjoys paintingin her spare time. Loriann Signori's workis available through Merritt Gallery inChevy Chase; Renaissance Fine Arts inBaltimore; and Waverly Street Gallery inBethesda, where she will participate in aninvitational show from February 7 throughMarch 4. For more information, seeloriannsignori. com.

148 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 • homeanddesign.com