LU ROSS | AN ARTIST’S JOURNEY
Inspired by her love for travel and nature, Lu Ross has spent a lifetime exploring the world and bringing awareness to the sacredness of Mother Nature. While traveling the world, surprising opportunities present themselves through beautiful landscapes, cultures, and abstracts that scream to be captured for eternity. A review of Ross’ artwork reveals a great deal about the artist’s love for nature, color, and abstraction; it suggests a passionate and emotional view of the world. She firmly believes in the healing power of art and nature. Her mission is to share her emotional connection with The Natural World and to inspire peace, love, and joy through her art.
Lu Ross was born and raised in Santiago, Chile where her French-Italian family introduced her to a life of travel and appreciation for the arts. In her earlier years, Ross spent many summer vacations with her family by the coast at the seaside resort of Viña Del Mar. Winter family vacations were usually spent skiing at resorts in the Andes. “I was captivated by the power and beauty of nature at an early age. The time I spent by the sea and the mountains greatly contributed to my awareness and respect for nature. I began to notice how the light affected the ocean and created forever-changing hues; how the highlights and shadows created by the rising and setting of the sun on the mountains painted a fleeting yet majestic picture.
“I was inspired to capture these moments and sought ways to translate this majesty into my artistic medium,” Ross explains.
Like many artists, Ross’ love for art began at an early age. “My mother was a painter,” Ross says, “and her art turned out to be one of my greatest inspirations. She loved Impressionism and as I became exposed to it, I learned about the style and painters of that era. Their use of light, color, highlights, and shadows deeply resonated with me and became a big influence and inspiration for my photography. Since we traveled frequently I took to photography as it seemed to be the best way to capture the world I was discovering.” Ross is an explorer at heart and traveling the world became as natural as breathing.
Ross obtained a B.A. in Mathematics/Statistics at the Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, initially pursuing a career in accounting and teaching when she moved to California as a young adult, where she currently resides. Her love for design led to what amounted to fourteen years as a contract web designer and Webmaster. Ross recalls, “Once I realized that web design only partly satisfied my desire for creativity and art, I decided to pursue further education through the New York Institute of Photography.”
A life of travel has inspired a wide range of subject matter in Lu’s work. “As a photographer, I use natural light to capture moments of beauty. I create art to celebrate life and inspire the viewer to connect and experience nature’s peace, calm, and joy. I paint with light and tell a beautiful story,” she points out.
“I have photographed spectacular locations,” Lu explains, “and have always been in search of the unique, the remote, and the undiscovered. As time went by, my photographic vision began to change. I began to dig deeper into the world of art and my subconscious to come up with work that was more thought-provoking instead of just capturing the “iconic” shot. This is where my journey changed direction to include abstract photography in my collection of work. At this point, I began to draw not only from Impressionism but also Abstract Expressionism.”
Ross captures the essence and life of a scene through the play of light and color – be it representational or abstract – depicting life as it feels, not as it is. Her work is characterized by her masterful use of the artistic elements of line, texture, shape, and color. Her favorite subject matter is the beauty found in nature and its interaction with light, especially the magical light found during sunset and sunrise. Her abstract work is often an isolated section of a scene, yet its color and expression convey strong emotions.
As an artist, her inspirations include her Mother, Claude Monet, Ansel Adams, Art Wolfe, Georgia O’Keeffe, Andreas Gursky, and Jackson Pollock. “I use a combination of digital painting and photography to create most of my artwork. This allows me to put my own signature on even familiar images,” she explains.
“I use my photography as a visual language to communicate and inspire. It’s a tool to create awareness of nature’s sacredness, pay homage to the amazing world we live in, and encourage its preservation. Experiencing nature brings joy and health to everyone who participates. Through my art, I seek to capture the experience of nature’s peace and joy that resonates with the viewer.
My ultimate goal as an artist is to alluringly convey the healing power of art and nature to my audience,” Ross states.
Over the years Ross’ artwork has been collected and sold at galleries, shows, and museums such as the Art Shopping Carrousel du Louvre in Paris, France, Crocker Art Museum-Permanent Collection in California, Wildling Museum of Art & Nature in California, Desert Light Gallery – as an Artist in Residence for the Mojave National Preserve Artists Foundation, Alice-Rice Gallery, Art-A-Fair Fine Art Festival in Laguna Beach, Art San Diego – Contemporary Art Show, Quorum Art Gallery in Laguna Beach, and currently Dana Bay Gallery in Dana Point.
Lu published her first book “Elements of Mojave” in 2019.
Her work has been featured in numerous newspaper articles and published in many magazines such as Laguna Beach Magazine, Premiere OC-Orange Coast Magazine, Hobie Hotline Magazine, Laguna Beach Independent Newspaper, Desert Light Magazine, Harboring the Good Life – Dana Point’s visitors’ guidebook, San Juan Capistrano Treasures – visitors’ guidebook, and the Santa Barbara News-Press.