My name is Lori Beth Keilwitz and I was raised here in Washington State. After High School I was married and lived in Germany for 3 yrs as he was in the military. We had 3 children together. The marriage ended after about 8 yrs and once the kids were grown I went to mortuary college to become a Funeral director/Embalmer. I worked in funeral homes for about 10 yrs and decided that it was time that I went after my real passion. I have been sketching since before elementary school. My dad used to draw little robin hood looking bears and the shading made them look so real that I became obsessed with trying to do them too. So here I am in the pursuit of following my dream to create and share my passion for art.
About You
MT: Can you tell us a little about you and how you relate to the Pagan Community?
LBK: I’ve always been drawn to those who thought differently than the traditional doctrine of your stereotypical neighborhood church. The excitement of mind opening discussion was a refreshing change from the stale taste of indoctrination that seemed to fall to the wayside as soon as church ended and I had no desire to be a cog in their machine. The journey this sent me on has taught me to stay out of the box for as a friend once told me, “Once you think you have figured it all out, you cease to learn.”
MT: What do you know and love most about Paganism?
LBK: The freedom of mind expanding thought and following my own path is what I love most.
MT: What do you dislike most about it?
LBK: Most religions have a book for you to read and follow. Paganism doesn’t come with a manual leaving you to learn through trial, error, research and luck. It’s a harder path but in the end a worthwhile one.
MT: If you could do anything to fix the world’s problems, what would it be?
LBK: That’s a tough one. To remove corruption, you would need to deal with all of the humans that are involved. Can fix them or are some just unfixable and by controlling them are you messing with their path? Put them all in the prisons that are basically corporations making money off of the prisoners themselves? I don’t have the answers but I would like abuse, corruption, slavery, and all of the evils to go away. This question made me sad.
About Your Work
MT: What are the predominant mediums you use in your art?
LBK: For a still life or portrait, oils tend to be my favorite go to. As far as having the freedom to create and flow freely, acrylics are my favorite.
MT: Are there any particular mediums you prefer over others or would like to try?
LBK: Since I love to create my own little worlds, I would have to say acrylic is by far my favorite due to decent dry times and the ability to layer.
MT: How do we find out more about it?
LBK: You can find my work on fineartamerica.com.
About Your Most Recent Work
MT: You’ve got a piece/series you are promoting now. Want to tell us about it? What’s it called and is there a story behind the name? What is it?
LBK: My latest series depicts a little ghost or dead girl named Lilly who is living in a cemetery land called purgatory. It portrays the feeling of just being. Seemingly trapped but familiar. Empty but content.
MT: Can people visit it in person at a gallery or online?
LBK: My online art store is at lori-vashler.pixels.com and I do have originals hanging at Strangelands in Centralia Washington.
MT: What can people expect when they visit online and/or in person?
LBK: Dark imagery mixed with cure portraying the cage that so many feel trapped in while finding our own way to reach contentment.
MT: Where can people find you online? (website, social media, limit to 3, but give us links here).
LBK: Lori-vashler.pixels.com is my website and you can find me on Facebook under the name Lori Beth Keilwitz
Advice/Tips
MT: Do you have any advice or tips you would like to share with would-be artists looking to get started?
LBK: Don’t be afraid to be you in your art and just let it flow with passion. Don’t be afraid to show everyone so it has a chance to reach the people that fall in love with it.
MT: Thanks for taking the time out of your schedule to speak with us. It is much appreciated. We wish you all the best.
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