About the Artist
Sculpting Fire Goddess
I love working with the nude. I was captivated with this subject while studying in Rome and began learning figurative sculpture there. The works of Michelangelo, Bernini and many others spoke to me like no other art had ever done. The human form reaches through time and connects with the viewer in ways that are deeply compelling – essentially pure. Passion, human experience and the nature of beauty are revealed.
Art is my soul's expression and path on my spiritual journey. The figure is my muse and a metaphor in my work. I'm inspired by the universe within our bodies, the art and traditions of many cultures, the splendor of nature, the complexity of human beings, the unconscious, and dreams. I celebrate this dance of life. I see integrity and strength in the harmony of a well-designed form.
This is my vision of beauty.
Lore Zora is a visionary artist, teacher, gardener and fellow seeker. She is inspired by the beauty & passion around her; sustained by a knowing partner, community, two cats and creatures living in her fairy glen.
Herstory
Lore Stephan was born and raised in Reading, Pennsylvania. Also known by her artist name Zora, she moved from painting landscapes at age fifteen to developing a wide range of skills using many different media. Studying drawing, sculpture, glass and clay, Lore received her Bachelors degree cum laude in Fine Arts from the Tyler School of Art, Temple University in Philadelphia. She studied figurative sculpture in Rome under Paolo Corosone, discovering her passion of the human form. Upon graduation, Lore followed this connection and apprenticed in the Bahamas for 2 years with figurative sculptor Randolph Johnston.
She has worked as a graphic designer, a scientific illustrator, and porcelain artisan. Lore was a partner in "Heartwood Boxes," where she created and sold "one of a kind" cedar boxes at fine craft shows. She was part of the "Tree House Project" at the Philadelphia Zoo, where she worked with a team of sculptors to create multi-sensory interior eco-systems designed for hands-on learning by children. She also created a business "Lore Zora Silk Fantasia" making painted silk scarves, wall hangings, and men's ties, which she sold to various fine craft galleries and stores in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Teaching allows Lore to pass on her artistic knowledge to others and continue her own learning process. She received her teaching certificate from Millersville University cum laude and has taught art in the Reading School District, Lancaster Museum of Art, and was an adjunct lecturer for 12 years at Alvernia University.
Zora's work is found in many private collections and has been involved in several shows. These include: a group show in Wyomissing, PA, a black-and-white group photography show in Rome, a solo sculpture show in the Bahamas, a solo landscape show in North Carolina, a solo dreamscapes show in North Carolina, a collaborative sculpture and mixed media show in West Reading, PA and a mini retrospective in Reading, PA. Creating Zora's Garden, she offers sculpture and mixed media paintings for the home and garden.
Resume
- Work Experience
- Artist, Lore Zora Silk Fantasia & Zora's Garden
Creation of sculpture, drawings, paintings & painted silks
1992 - Present
- Artisan for Heart Nouveau , Hillsborough, NC
Design and production of porcelain jewelry for fine craft shows, design of marketing materials
- Graphic Designer for Kachergis Book Design, Pittsboro, NC
Paste-up and layout of scholarly books and covers; U.P.N.E.,
Wesleyan University Press, Brookings Institute
- Scientific Illustrator, Durham, NC
Consultation and development of schematic and 3-dimensional drawings for publishing and research. Clients - Duke University Medical Center faculty & scholars
- Partner, Heartwood Boxes, Durham, NC
Design and creation of one of a kind cedar wood boxes - photography, promotion and marketing of work at fine craft shows.
- Sculptor for the Treehouse Project, Philadelphia, PA
Design and creation of sculpture installations. A multi-sensory interior environment designed for hands on learning of eco systems.
- Apprentice to Randolph Johnston, figurative sculptor, Abaco, Bahamas
Creation of new works, handling wax models for casting in bronze, creation of portrait miniatures.
- Education
- PA Teaching Certification, Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Dean's List - cum laude
- B.F.A. Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
Painting, Drawing, Sculpture Major
- Temple University Abroad, Rome, Italy
Figurative Sculpture, Painting, Italian Language
- Teaching Experience
- Adjunct Lecturer at Alvernia University, Reading, PA
Taught Art Appreciation, Watercolor, Drawing, 3D Design Division of Continuing Ed. & Graduate Studies.
2003 - 2015
- Art Educator at Reading High School, Reading School District
Taught Art around the World, Advanced Arts and Crafts, Introduction to Art, Art Level 2, Intro to Arts and Crafts to grades 9-12. Included criticism, aesthetics, art history with studio art. Organized and curated shows of student work in school and community.
- Art Educator at Tenth & Penn Elementary, Reading School District
Taught grades K-5, SED, EMR, and art enrichment classes. Developed integrative themes of instruction - Great Master works, Latin American Art, Natural Science and Art, Portraiture.
Organized a summer art enrichment program creating a large marine life mural - 9 by 25 ft.
- English Language Teacher, Intercoop Language School & Global Services, Rome, Italy
Individual tutoring for military personnel- Italian Dept. of Defense
Group classes for hotel professionals and children.
- Selected Exhibitions
- Stone House, Wyomissing, PA
- Immagine Gallery, Rome, Italy
- Little Harbour Gallery, Abaco, Bahamas
- Craft Gallery, Carrboro, NC
- Hilltop Gallery, Pittsboro, NC
- Womongathering, Pointelle, PA
- Beauty, Love & the Divine, Reading, PA
- Reading Public Museum, Reading, PA
- Art of the State, Harrisburg, PA
- Nature & Divinity, Reading, PA
