About the Artist – Lori Oswald

A little about me…
I’m a Midwestern mama, obsessed with wellness, hiking, and my dogs. By day I’m a Senior Organic Search Strategist at Education Dynamics (please don’t judge my abilities by this website that gets my attention about twice a year), and by night I’m adulting with my husband Ronnie as we try and balance parenting our two daughters and three dogs between his food truck and catering business Kansas City Smoked, and me slingin’ my art! I love to eat, paint, write, take photos, be outside, and ponder the meaning of life. My Enneagram Type is 5 wing 6 .

My mom said when I was three I drew something that blew her mind and she new I would be an artist. In early elementary school I won Best in Show at our district art show for a watercolor painting. I continued to draw a lot in my early years and became a self taught expert at eyes, faces and horses, but never took anything very seriously. Around middle school age, I became a fan of M.C. Escher’s work, but otherwise was really just interested in normal tweenager things: friends, sports, boys, and makeup.

I don’t remember what I wanted to be when I grew up – maybe a teacher? But in high school when I took an elective drawing class for fun, my charismatic teacher inspired me to take my art seriously and work on building my portfolio to go to art school. I learned so much from his instruction and built my confidence as an artist. By the end of my senior year, I had won some Scholastic art awards for individual pieces and a small art scholarship to Missouri State University.

However, in college, it didn’t take long for me to burn out of the art program. None of the teachers inspired me, and I grew bored of drawing and painting in class and for homework. Only a year into the program, I changed majors and decided to pursue a marketing degree. I put my art supplies away and they mostly collected dust for the next 20 years.

Adult life with all its ups and downs lead me through a lot of soul searching and self discovery over the years. In my own quest for balance and well-being, I’ve explored holistic nutrition and psychology, both academically and personally. I’ve worked with a psychotherapist on and off for several years, and read a dozen self help books. There was always this feeling that I had more to offer this world.

A few years ago I had the gnawing urge to spend more time outside, so I began hiking locally. That turned into a few trips each year to Colorado to spend time in the gorgeous and healing mountains. My hiking and camping trips in the mountains seemed like a way back to myself, and I came back from one such trip in 2019 with the overwhelming desire to create. I got out my dusty old art supplies to make something, shared my work on Instagram and Facebook, and the rest was history!

In my first year as a grown-up artist, I produced and sold over 40 commissioned art pieces. I also created over a dozen abstract paintings, which is something I continue to experiment with and explore. The commissioned pieces bring me so much joy when I get to deliver to the purchaser, while the abstract pieces are fun and relaxing to make. Most of my work is available for purchase on this site, and continue to expand my collection as time allows between my day job, art commissions and family duties and adventures!

Let’s keep in touch! Below are some links to several places to find me and my art.

Current art for sale – see my latest creations and order online

Commissioned art – Learn more about commissioning a custom portrait or abstract painting

Newsletter – Join my newsletter to get 25% off artwork, exclusive promotions, and news about my upcoming artwork and events.

Instagram – My main social media space – sharing art and life. Come follow!

Facebook – If you’re not on Instagram, come follow on Facebook!

Pinterest – A place to share my art and lots of other inspiration on food, outdoorsy things, home decor, and more!