As a former chemistry professor, Milt Lorber was familiar with having to experiment to arrive at a final desired product, an approach he brought to learning pastels. Though he briefly took a course in the medium a decade ago, Lorber arrived at his highly saturated aesthetic through trial-and-error, using his love of the Northwoods as well as his preference for strong colors to guide him. This aesthetic is fully on display in his landscape pastel works, which frequently use local scenic views as their subject matter.

In Autumn and Birch on Lake Superior, Lorber represents foliage in Impressionistic distinct, short strokes which contrast with the longer, blended strokes he uses to depict water and grass. While he often prefers straightforward compositions, Autumn stands out among his works for its use of perspective in the rows of columnar and his attention to their elongated shadows, which cut diagonally across the image.

While Lorber often works directly from his own photo references, Colorado is unique in that it was created it from a combination of reference photos from the state, as well as his own memories of hiking in the state while he was completing his PhD in Boulder. The mountain rising high behind rolling hills is a composite of the range of Flatirons he saw out his window every day which he has then further exaggerated in height for dramatic effect. Lorber divides his composition into three distinct horizontal passages—the burnt oranges and reds of the bottom foreground stand out against the deep greens of the middleground, and they, in turn, contrast with the crisp blues and bold purple used to render the mountain and skies at the painting’s upper register.

To see more pastel paintings by Lorber, as well as other works by him, Wei Lan Lorber, and Steve Cotherman, we invite you set up an appointment to view Lorber, Lorber & Cotherman. Slots are available every Wednesday through Saturday between the hours of 1 PM and 5 PM throughout the month of August. Please call (715) 373-5591 or send an email to WashburnCulturalCenter@gmail.com to set up an appointment to view this trio of local artist’s surprising and excitingly varied artwork. Please note that this exhibition is open to the public by appointment only, and for the continued safety of all, masks are required of all visitors. While we encourage you to see this exhibition in person, a virtual slideshow featuring photos of the installed show is available to view here.