We were lucky to catch up with Lori Colt recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lori, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I can’t remember a time when I was not drawn to the creative path. As a young girl I recall my mom being involved in the girl scouts. We did crafts and things and I wanted to excel so badly at the dough art as holiday ornament that I went through all the ornaments made, swapping mine in secret for ornaments made by other girls that were better. Boy did I get a spanking and a real world lesson on that one. Years later, at 18 and off to University in Flagstaff, I took a drawing course. We had an assignment on perspective. I remember drawing out tall skyscapers and then a cat with long legs equally as tall. I don’t really remember the professor, but I do remember the comment. “Genius,” was all he said, and that put the confidence in my veins. I pursued a degree in European History with an emphasis in Art History. I really wanted to be a museum curator, but that wasn’t my path. I had to shelf my passion until I retired at the age of 58. I’ve been making and chasing the artist way ever since.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

A few years ago I received a set of watercolor pencils from my husband for Christmas. I’d never heard of these before but they managed to reignite my passion to create once again. When Covid hit, and we all went on mandatory lockdown, I was in my hometown of San Diego. Each morning I’d walk the beach and then in the afternoon I went to YouTube University where I pursue mark-making and learning everything I could in relation to painting. I would basically follow various artist’s tutorials, painting how they painted, until I finally gained enough confidence to start making my own creations. Eventually, my husband and I moved back to New Mexico, a placed we’d live in for eight years before, and I started making my own original creations based on the land, history, and iconic things that make up this unique place. I have a passion for all things Southwest. I absolutely love the landscapes here and the history of what makes New Mexico like no other place and I wanted to honor that while at the same time adding my own quirky humor. My works are meant to inspire, delight and add levity to an otherwise pretty tense world. I’ve been fortunate to show my works in group shows multiple times in Santa Fe, NM which is a huge honor since it is deemed the third largest art market in the United States.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I read Judy Chicago’s autobiography after visiting her space Through the Flower in Belen, NM and seeing her speak. One of the things she talks about is loss in the book. Loss of family members at an early age and what that meant to her and how this informed how she sees her life and her role in the world. I feel like that too. I had a great deal of familial loss as a young girl and then more trauma with a step parent who really didn’t want me. The good part of all of this was a father who believed in me and loved me fully with no expectations. He made me feel like I could do and be anything and downfalls were not marks on my character, but just that, mistakes or things I could learn from. So my creative journey is driven by a combination of knowing how fragile life is, how quickly it goes and not a second can be taken for granted, and that we are all so powerful and most of us don’t know it or embrace it. We can do or be anything we want and frankly no one has this creative process figured out. That’s a fallacy and we need to kick that out the window. Go big, go wide. Explore. Try. Fail. Repeat.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I’m not drawn to computerized art. I feel neutral about things like procreate. I am probably old school. Pull out the paper and pen and go at it. I prefer the slow life and true interactions, not some fake virtual world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://coyoteandchamisa.art/
• Instagram: coyoteandchamisa_art/