“Hyperrealism” – the practice of painting and sculpting works resembling high-resolution photographs – is a common trend in contemporary art. Lorn Curry, a Vancouver-based artist, is quite an expert in the genre. He details crushed aluminium foils and reflections on glassy surfaces in stunning precision. The subject matter is always still life – eggs, lemons, etc.

“I have a professional culinary certificate – hence my interest in food,” says Lorn. “But it goes beyond that as well. I feel like there is a universality of experience related to the table. Everyone’s earliest memories are inextricably tied to eating – for better or for worse. And for me, as an artist, this is a rich field to till and draw from for inspiration.”

Stylistically, Lorn considers himself dancing in the space between classical realism and contemporary hyperrealism. He tries to marry the emotional language of the former with the visual appeal of the latter. He explains: “I’m drawn to the nostalgia, the romance, the ‘feeling’ evoked by classical realists. Two of the artists at that end of the spectrum whom I greatly admire are the American, David Gray, and a giant of Canadian realist still life, Mary Pratt. Both manage to use light to evoke a mood and weave a narrative in a painting and provoke a feeling in the viewer in a way that is absolutely masterful in my opinion.

“At the other end of the spectrum, I believe in mastery of the medium and the importance of skill in art. And that is why I am so very drawn to contemporary hyperrealism. Of the hyperrealists, the two artists whose work I most admire are Pedro Campos and Tjalf Sparnaay. Each, I feel, has achieved a level of mastery of their medium that is truly remarkable.”

Lorn Curry studied in Vancouver under the painter Dene Croft in his atelier for a couple of years before opening his own studio.

Links: Website (www.lorncurry.com) | Facebook (www.facebook.com/OriginalsByLorn)

Images used with permission.