OOh La La Lora
The arts and homespun wares featured at Floyd Fest this year included handmade hammocks, pottery, jewelry, stained glass, leather goods, clothes, birdhouses, and hula hoops. There was even a booth with a cider press selling freshly made apple cider.
Although I enjoyed window shopping and sampling Floyd Fest’s creative bounty, I believe it was my friend Lora Leigh Giessler who had the hottest vending booth this year. Because I know her work, I prepared to catch my breath and hold on to my hat when I finally made way to her tent on Sunday. I’m convinced that her art, so provocative and bright, raised the Floyd Fest temperature a few degrees. Her pastel painted images bud, bloom, and swell in shades of magenta, violet, rose, and peach. I found myself spontaneously laughing out loud at one of her newest pieces. Not because it was funny, but because it was so delightful.
Mostly Lora paints larger than life flowers in the style of Georgia O’Keefe’, but her sensual images are not limited to that. Lora is also a potter and her art reflects that. Some pieces are reminiscent of the whirl of a potter’s wheel spinning grey clay. Others capture the earthy muskiness of the woods. 
“The rhythmic patterns of the natural world” is the theme that ties all of Lora’s art together. She is also inspired by life’s contrasting quiet stillness, according to the bio on the back of her art prints. With her painter’s eye and through her potter’s fingertips, she captures the cavernous swirl of a nautilus seashell on canvas and makes you feel like you’re being quietly pulled inside it.
Not surprisingly, Lora is also a dancer. I managed to persuade her to stop dancing outside of her tent with our mutual friend, Luke, long enough to pose for a picture. “You look like a blooming flower yourself,” I told her as I held my camera steady and snapped.
Post Notes: Floyd Fest, our town’s yearly world music festival is now in the wikipedia. You can read more about the festival by scrolling down this page, or check out the write-up in the Richmond Times Dispatch, here.
August 4th, 2006 9:42 am
Wow….her art is amazing! What a talent she has. And all the more impressive to me, because I honestly can’t draw a straight line!
Love her pastels….very soothing.
I’m amazed at the variety of things that Floyd Fest had…so many different things to see and do. No wonder you have such a great turn-out there.
August 4th, 2006 10:02 am
Too bad Lora’s tent spot was sloping. I keep wanting to straighten that picture!
August 4th, 2006 10:04 am
She is sensual isn’t she? The painting behind her is very erotic indeed….for a flower especially!
I gotta go check out your links!
Have a nice weekend Colleen!
August 4th, 2006 10:53 am
When I saw the picture, Georgia O’Keefe was my first thought. She has several pictures hanging in the Met Museum here in New York and a few in the small art museum on the campus of William and Mary. Love the gigantic flowers,
August 4th, 2006 11:26 am
What Love!!!
Colleen, I am delighted to make this connection with you through my art. Your poetry moves me in many of the same ways – laughing and crying – FEELING LIFE! As a witness – I look at the “Sweet Peas” and feel an incredible desire to wrap myself in their enveloping folds and nuzzle in their softness. The “Earth Mama” above the Glads is such a powerful statement of the strength of women. This amazing tree growing from deep within the earth- firmly rooted to its Source – reflects the amazing vessel which brings forth new life. She even has a belly button and the stretch marks of growth. Ahhh! I feel blessed to have the opportunity to commune with others through my art. Thanks for sharing it! OXOXOX LL
August 4th, 2006 11:41 am
Lora, you need a website so everyone can see more! Let me know when it happens and I’ll update this. xocolleen
August 4th, 2006 1:14 pm
Yep!
I know – it’s coming soon. I have a “mini” page that will be up on the Arts Council Of the Blue Ridge site. My domain name is http://www.loraleighgiessler.com. I had an interview with David St.Lawrence on Wednesday – which will be posted on http://ripples.typepad.com sometime in the future. I believe David will be instrumental in co-creating this marketing tool with me. He is a tremendous asset and resource to the artists in Floyd. We are fortunate to have him at the Jacksonville Center. LL
August 4th, 2006 6:15 pm
Beautiful paintings! I agree on the need for a website!
Here from Micheles!
August 4th, 2006 6:25 pm
Absolutely gorgeous. It’s definitely time for a website.
August 4th, 2006 7:17 pm
Very pretty stuff!
August 4th, 2006 11:17 pm
Lora does very lovely work (and yes, I second the comment from above about the tilted tent !!)!
Floydfest founds great. My father lives in Goodview VA (my parents retired to the area from NJ in the 90’s), is that anywhere near Floyd? I was down in that area a couple of years ago and discovered an interesting local (i think (??)) artist, Virginia Lloyd Davies, who does oriental brushwork. I have two of her pieces in my apartment.
August 4th, 2006 11:21 pm
every time you write about Floyd Fest, it makes me want to come to the next one~!!
August 4th, 2006 11:23 pm
Hi, back again … just checked out some of the Floydfest links … I hadn’t realized it was a World Music festival as well. Very cool!! I’m now on the e-mailing list, so I’ll definitely keep it mind for next year !! Thanks !!
August 4th, 2006 11:33 pm
her art’s wonderful and she was even wearing a dress that went with the painting.
I’m pretty sure my sister has been to the Floyd Fest–I’ll be down that way next week and will ask her (she lives in NC)
August 5th, 2006 6:30 am
Thanks, Colleen, for this great post. We also visited her booth at FloydFest are also big fans of Lora Leigh’s wonderful pastels. I just signed up for her six-week pastel class starting in mid September at the Jacksonville Center here in Floyd. 2 hours each Wednesday 5-7 pm. Yum-m-m!!!
August 5th, 2006 7:42 am
I love art, so I went green of envy here….
Hope you’re having a wonderful crazy weekend *lol*