The OPC Register was searching for an illustration to accompany their feature article on “leading student achievement”. They wanted the art to play with words like reflection, networking, contribution, and improvement. Avoiding the visual cliches that go with academic illustration such as apples, school bells etc., Lorraine had a vision of various birds creating a nest to symbolize what the Register wanted the article to visually convey. The birds were drawn in multiple colors to help along the idea of different parties and areas all working together, while creating a nest was the appropriate kind of image to represent nurturing.

Art director Dale Vokey loved Lorraine’s image so much that he asked Lorraine for additional background textures and some illustrated leaves so he could separately work them into the design of other pages and sidebars. She was more than happy to oblige. Dale praises Lorraine’s finished product by saying, “It is beautiful! You have simply made my day.”

The National Magazine Awards Foundation is a bilingual, not-for-profit institution whose mission is to recognize excellence in the content and creation of Canadian magazines through an annual program of awards. Lorraine Tuson produced this beautiful illustration of a phoenix for Canadian Business magazine.  It made such an impression that Lorraine was given the Silver Award in the Spot Illustration Category.

The Bepo and Mimi Project presented the “Cut to the Drummer” gala and art auction this year to raise support for the Multiple Sclerosis Society and Scholarship Program. The challenge for each of the artists featured at this event was so take a well-known drummer and create a portrait that would in turn raise money and awareness for the MS charity.

Lorraine immersed herself in the music and happily researched the era surrounding her selected artist to paint, Mel Taylor of the Ventures. For the finished product, she created an abstracted collage of shapes, figures, and forms, which presented a rhythmical portrait more concerned with energy, color and ‘visual’ sound more than actual likeness in the literal portrait sense.

The couple who purchased Lorraine’s piece, Rick and Donna Braggins, had this to say about it, “We have long admired the work of Lorraine Tuson and we are delighted to have finally added a piece to our collection. Her image stands out as an extraordinary alignment of subject and technique. Her use of collage demonstrates a wonderful sense of rhythm in both the shapes and colors. The final composition synthesizes so many significant influences of 20th century art, creating an image that is abstract, conceptual and illustrates the subject beautifully. It is a perfect alignment of image and music.”