About the artist

About me.
My name is Lorena Tuinenburg, I’m an artist residing in Southern California since 1981 when my family migrated here from Argentina, just a couple of months before my husband’s family migrated here from Holland, and though our paths nearly crossed many times, we weren’t meant to meet until the mid 1990’s. Hence the name of my business “South meets North.” We’ve been married 25 years, we have two gorgeous, wonderful sons (in my completely biased opinion) and two beautiful & sweet Cocker Spaniels.

Training.
Except for one art class and a ceramics class I took back in high school, I don’t have any formal training. Art was a dormant hobby for many years until we bought our first home and I needed to decorate it on a small budget. This woke up the artist, DIYer and crafter inside me that I didn’t know existed, and up until recently, everything I made was for keeps or for family members. I was very attached to everything I made or painted, now I’m finally ready to make a business out of it.

What inspires me?
Usually nature, my mood is always heavily influenced by the seasons. In the Spring, it’s the gardens and everything in it. In the Summer, it’s the ocean and sea life, In Autumn, it’s the vibrant colors and Halloween, and in Winter, it’s the snow covered pine trees, mountain wildlife and Christmas.

What mediums do I use?
I’ve painted with oils and acrylics, right now I’m really into watercolors and air dry clay. Though for the murals I’ve made for my home, I used Behr paints on plywood. I’ve used alcohol inks, which are really fun, and I’ve tried pastels, and I don’t mind admitting that I’m awful at it. I love discovering new art supplies and using old supplies in new unconventional ways. I don’t make anything that I wouldn’t want to keep for myself (I follow this rule of thumb when I buy gifts as well) and I hope that my joy and passion is apparent in every piece of art I make.