Lori Mole cites her earliest artistic endeavor as sketching Bugs Bunny when she was a toddler, but ironically, it’s Bugs’ biggest competitor that inspired her to pursue music as well as painting. I’m, of course, referring to Mickey Mouse.
Mole was 3 years old when she saw a live musical performance she will never forget at the Happiest Place on Earth.
“Louis Armstrong was playing his trumpet in the Disneyland parade,” Mole told the Sun. “I was up on my dad’s shoulders. Louis set his trumpet down, looked right at me, and threw me a kiss. It was like magic and I fell in love with music.”
The encounter was—for lack of a better word—instrumental in shaping her musical career. One kiss was all it took for the Orland, California, native to take up piano in elementary school, followed by the clarinet and flute. It was during these band classes that Mole gained an appreciation for classical music. In high school, though, she became more engrossed in visual art, specifically graphic design and printmaking. During college, Mole became involved in her alma mater’s (CSU Chico) gallery program. After graduation, she worked in the arts field for many years, operating various galleries and representing more than 200 artists over the next two decades.
“All throughout my life, though, my passion has always been to create my own art,” said Mole, who typically takes a sketchbook with her wherever she goes.
Between 2018 and 2019, Mole created 31 acrylic paintings of her own, which are currently on display at Shepard Hall Gallery in the Santa Maria Public Library. The show opened on Oct. 2 and will run through Dec. 5.
“These little ones I call my ‘acrylic gems,’” Mole said, describing her 6-by-6-inch canvas panels. “I love creating my ideas on this size and they sometimes become the foundation for larger works.”
Other works range in size, from 10-by-10 inches to 48-by-36 (the show’s largest). The exhibit is part of Mole’s ongoing Music Series, which features musically inspired paintings she created while listening to various genres, including rock, jazz, and modern country. The series began in 1992.
“I started creating the Music Series once I owned my own art gallery in Santa Rosa,” Mole said. “I played classical music every day, and it eventually started coming through in my watercolors, with splatters of acrylic on top.”
Watercolor was Mole’s medium of choice until 2013, when she was commissioned with short notice to paint a 48-by-36 landscape of a vineyard.
“I had to switch to acrylic and fast,” Mole said. “I’ve been working with acrylic since. I love how the acrylic paint can change with layers and sparkle with highlights.”
Although the acrylic paintings in the Shepard Hall show were all created within the last year, they share the same theme of musical appreciation the artist has been covering since the ’90s.
“It’s fun to see how people gravitate toward the music,” Mole said. “It reminds them of a night of jazz, a concert, or maybe they used to or still do play the guitar. Whatever it is, everyone loves music. It is the universal language.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood is currently jamming out to the Men in Black soundtrack. Send music recommendations to cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 24-31, 2019.