'Produce Pete' Picks Somers Artist Dorothy Lorenze

What started as a simple tribute to a beloved television personality landed Somers artist Dorothy Byers Lorenze on the popular NBC weekend segment "Produce Pete" this past June. And now she's sharing her good fortune by donating part of her sales to nonprofits benefiting children overseas through the end of August. 

After watching Produce Pete offer a tip for keeping asparagus fresh, inspiration struck and Lorenze, who works with oil paints, bought a bunch and placed them in a glass tumbler, just like the vegetable guru suggested. Lorenze studied the refracted light patterns and captured how the vertical shapes of the asparagus changed in a painting she titled "Tribute to Produce Pete." 

"It struck me that the asparagus standing in the glass looked like a trophy--like if you were giving a trophy for best all-around produce knowledge, that's what it would look like, and it should go to Produce Pete!" Lorenze told Patch. "I like that he is so passionate about vegetables, so it seemed fitting." 

Lorenze was surprised by what came next--a personal e-mail from Produce Pete, who had come across a blog post she wrote about the asparagus image, asking to buy the painting. He suggested a plan that would have Lorenze presenting the painting during his segment.     

"I really thought it was a joke!" said Lorenze. "So I called the number and when he answered I recognized his voice! I was truly surprised. And a little scared. Certainly nervous about going on air but also anxious about having such a public presence."

With some coaxing, Lorenze, who has lived in Somers since 1976, appeared on "Produce Pete" on June 14. The television star, whom Lorenze describes as down to Earth (he was shucking corn in the hallway when she stepped off the elevator), mentioned several of her other paintings of vegetables and fruit and told viewers to buy her works.    

"I didn't expect to see my painting enlarged and projected as a backdrop during the segment," Lorenze said. 

Lorenze considers the experience "a stroke of luck." After recently retiring from her career as a graphic artist for clients including the American Cancer Society, Mount Sinai Hospital, Columbia University Medical Center, and the Make a Wish Foundation, her work already made it into the Arts Bash Invitational Exhibition at ArtsWestchester.

"I'm interested in the challenge of rendering a particular texture but by the time I've decided what the composition will be, there's a story in my mind and that influences the final outcome--whether it's playful or sassy or somber," Lorenze said of her paintings. 

As a way to spread some of her good fortune, Lorenze is donating 20 percent of her paintings sales to Good For Kids and Edge of Seven, two nonprofits that work in Costa Rica and Nepal, respectively, to support the education of children.

"Both groups make it possible for very poor children in Nepal or Costa Rica to receive an education and a chance for a better life--they bring hope where there would otherwise be none," said Lorenze. 

To purchase a Dorothy Byers Lorenze painting, go to her website: www.dorothylorenze.com. 

Editor's Note: A Dorothy Lorenze painting has not yet appeared at the Katonah Museum of Art, as was originally stated in the article -- one of her paintings is scheduled to be in a fund-raiser at the museum in September.