lori larusso

In her bright, graphic and playfully ironic works, Kentucky painter Lori Larusso explores the cycle of consumption and waste in our consumer-driven world.

Artist: Born in the little town of Massillon, in Ohio’s Rust Belt.

Larusso lived there until she went to college. At the University of Cincinnati, she graduated with a BFA from the college of design, architecture, art & planning (DAAP).

After graduation, she moved to Baltimore, MD, to work on her MFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA).

After that, she worked a variety of jobs, some art-related, many not. Larusso also participated in artist residencies over the years and maintained a working studio.

Studio: Since 2019, Larusso has worked in a warehouse space in Louisville’s west end, upstairs from a nonprofit arts organization.

In the beginning: Growing up in small town, she was encouraged to draw and create by her parents, but she didn’t have access to contemporary art until she went to college in Cincinnati.

“From there, I became part of an active community,” said Larusso. “Excited about materials and making and also contemporary issues and political activism.”

Art & materials: Paintings and site-specific installations, using Golden matte acrylic paint. Some paintings include a pigmented varnish (custom-made by Golden), but lately she has been experimenting with resin.

Square paintings are on a cradled wooden panel.
Non-rectangular paintings are on an acrylic substrate.

Works range in size from 4×4 inches to large-scale installations ($500 to $50,000).

Themes: Foodways, class, anthropocentrism, excess, consumption and waste.

Must-have tools: Exacto knife, #11 blades, and 3M high adhesion masking tape.

Inspirations:

Pop art and color field painting.
Product packaging and graphic design.

Recent awards/honors:

2025 History Inspires Fellowship, Filson Historical Society. Louisville, KY. 2025.
National Park Service Artist-in-Residence, Weir Farm. Wilton, CT. October 2025.
Feature in Hyperallergic (online publication) by John Yau: “An Artist’s Alluring Paintings About Consumption and Waste.” May 2025. https://hyperallergic.com/1008101/an-artists-alluring-paintings-about-consumption-and-waste/

What’s new:

Solo show, “A Paradox of Plenty,” Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Little Rock, AR. Aug. 26 through May 3, 2026.

What’s next:

Group show:” Gimme More: The Eras of American Consumption,” Carolla Arts Exhibition Center; Springfield, MO. Sept. 2 to Oct. 3.
Group show: “DIVIDENDS: Kentucky Arts Council Grantee Retrospective,” Eastern Kentucky University‘s Giles Gallery. Richmond, KY. October.

Where to buy: Several galleries, including: