Retrospective, 1990s – It’s a Wonderful Life

Colorado, 1990s: A Palette Transformed

In 1993, Lorraine moved to Colorado — and everything changed. “When I first came here, I was painting with the same palette I had used in New York. The skies were gray, the colors more muted. But here? The sunlight is powerful. The shadows are strong.” For months, she couldn’t paint at all. “I didn’t know what colors to use. I was baffled.” Gradually, she gave herself permission to adapt. “In New York, these kinds of intense colors would be considered garish. Here, they were natural. Emotional. I realized I was allowed to use them.”

The two pieces from the 1990s reflect that breakthrough — paintings that burst with saturated color, deep contrast, and wide-open space. “A whole new world opened up to me,” she says. “I could see colors in the shadows.”