Lori Solymosi’s Painting to Hang in Clemson Hotel

Three or four years ago, Anderson Artists Guild member Lori Solymosi said yes when asked about having her art included in a new boutique hotel to be built in Clemson. “I didn’t know if it was for real,” she said.

At that time, an interior designer walked into the Art Gallery on Pendleton Square, where Solymosi’s art was on display. The designer was scouting for work by local artists for The Shepherd Hotel, a 69-room room inn set to open in April 2022. The hotel will employ individuals with disabilities as service providers.

Originally, two of Solymosi’s pieces were chosen: a 36x36 inch abstract acrylic painting called Voices and a 6x6 inch encaustic. The encaustic was later cut from the plan because it would be too expensive for Solymosi to create 4 24x24 inch pieces for the lobby based on that original small piece.

Solymosi sold a license for Voices for the hotel to crop it and make a print to be used in a sample room. She agreed to the crop as long as the print retained her signature. This part of the process took months. But the nature of hospitality, plus setbacks due to COVID, eventually dragged things out for years.

Ultimately, though, Solymosi licensed the hotel to crop and print her painting 69 times—one for each room in the hotel. She still owns the original piece.

This experience has led Solymosi to broaden her options. “I learned that there are so many different markets for artists in addition to the fine arts avenue,” she said.

In addition to the hospitality market, which deals with art reproductions for hotels, restaurants, and other public spaces, she is looking into the decorative market, which licenses artwork for various uses. These uses include puzzles, clothing, and comforters, among many other items. Pottery Barn, for instance, periodically puts out calls for artists for a particular need, such as for a juvenile bedroom.

“It is an exciting time to be an artist,” Solymosi said.

To see more of Solymosi’s work, visit https://www.lorisolymosifineart.com/.

For more information about The Shepherd Hotel, visit https://www.shepherdhotels.com/.