Powers came to art later in life in her sixties. Growing up her in a strict house hold, her mom never allowed color in there home, it was only white. When Lori got her own house, she couldn’t wait to paint her walls and she sure went crazy with the paint turning it into one of the brightest and most vibrant houses on her block. Fill with metal characters, Lori’s house is a must see in the in the ‘wood’ streets in Mar Vista, California.

Around 2016, she simply sought an outlet for her creative impulses. If anything, the wave of horrific American school shootings provided one motivation for her turn to art.

“I wanted to bring happiness to the streets, make people smile.”

After 30 years of working in software development, she moved to the Los Angeles area from New England, where she had raised two children as a single mother. As she experimented with welding and fabricating materials foraged from the alleys and other locales in Mar Vista, she discovered her passion for public street art. These works have been appearing in the past few years and have intensified during the pandemic. 

Lori also loves opening her study to inspiring local artist. She teaches welding to younger artist who have had troubled past by bringing welding jobs to these artist to keep them out of trouble and focused on there talent and art.