Liora Kolton Orly, artist and painter, works mostly with acrylic and oil on canvas. Liora comes from the world of design. In the past, Liora established a successful graphic design studio specializing in the development of visual corporate identities and planning of commercial exhibitions for various organizations. The studio turned out to be a great success, spearheading numerous projects for various industry leaders and government bodies. For her work, Liora has won several design awards and citations. 

Her knowledge of communication media began appearing in her work. Her perspective had changed and combined with an enriched life experience, led to a change in perception of the artist within her towards painting.

 

Can you tell us a little of your background?

My mother was born in Poland. During the Second World War, she was in a concentration camp, and she lost her entire family. My father was born in Poland, and came to Israel when he was a young boy, before the war. My father arrived in Italy just after the war as a soldier, and there he met my mother. They fell in love, got married, and returned to Israel to settle there. I was born in Israel, the eldest child, and I have one sister, a little younger than me. I have been painting since I was a child. In my years at school, I always won awards for my paintings. My parents encouraged me to study art, and enrolled me in a specialist art school. The teachers where I studied were famous painters and sculptors in Israel.

 

What attracted you to art in the first place?

I've always been attracted to art, painting, and sculpture. The artists who have influenced me the most are Toulouse-Lautrec, Salvador Dali, and Roy Lichtenstein. Although each of them is different from the others, I was fascinated by their ability to "create" a reality that communicates with the audience, while at the same time maintaining a very personal perspective. I think I always knew I would deal with art or applied art. I could not imagine my life without being able to create.

 

Does your art have a theme? If so, what is it?

My work mainly deals with our identity as human beings, our place in society, and outside influences that affect our characters and personalities. For instance, our house, car, workplace, the people with whom we associate, the brands that we buy, all of these "define" us. My paintings are like a film clip that has a glimmer of reality, while reality itself is almost like a dream. As a result of my background in advertising and branding, my works often reflects the reality symbolically. I paint as an essential way of investigating what it means to be human. I am especially busy with questions about our responsibility as human beings to the world we live in.

 

How has your art evolved throughout the years?

In 1981, I established a successful graphic design studio in Tel Aviv, specializing in the development of visual corporate identities and the planning of commercial exhibitions for various organizations. The studio turned out to be a great success, spearheading numerous projects for various industry leaders and government bodies. I won several design awards and citations. In 2001, I closed the studio and went back to painting. My knowledge of communication media began appearing in my work. My perspective had changed, the result of an enriched life experience, and this in turn led to a change in perception towards the paintings.