For the first time in her short but celebrated career, Lori Earley has a solo exhibition in New York. If you want to be among the uncool kids in the know, you’ll venture to The Opera Gallery (115 Spring Street, NYC) this Saturday, April 28^th, from 6 pm – 9 pm, for the opening reception of Lori Earley’s Anima Sola.

We got our prying eyes on the ten paintings on display at last night’s private press preview, and are here to report that Anima Sola is a must-attend art affair. Lori Earley could very well be the person art historians will fuss over for years to come when speaking about pop surrealism.

Obsessed with couture fashion, Earley’s paintings are inspired by the fashion world’s attention-getters, Alexander McQueen, Donatalla Versace, and Jennifer Nicholson. The women in her paintings therefore wear high-fashion outfits that evoke a sense of their personalities.

In one painting, Time Passed, a young woman drapes herself over a chair in a room full of dressmaker’s dummies. In a self-referential moment, Earley includes a painting reminiscent of her The Drought in the background. Perhaps the background of cloths-making props and the artist’s own painting are true to the development of the piece, and offer further insight into Earley’s methodology:

The artist arranges a photo shoot in her studio with a model to enhance mood and accuracy of pose and figure. Lori Earley then creates a final sketch from her photograph of the model, and only then begins her painting in oil. For her new series of portraits, Lori Earley’s models pose in original Jennifer Nicholson couture dresses. The celebrity fashion designer is an avid collector of Lori Earley’s work.

Earley’s portraits depict alluring yet dangerous vixens—femme fatales who know how to use their beauty to get what they want. Take for instance, Ms. Celose, who wears a strapless pink shirt, body-hugging brown skirt, and fur, all of which could be considered indications of sexual confidence and even aggression. Her perfectly highlighted hair swells outward, conically, like many of Ray Caesar’s renditions of women. She sits resolutely on a chair that could easily be a seat in an open carriage or a throne, and it is clear that she thinks highly of herself.

Despite their alpha-dog qualities, the women show their vulnerability. Sarah channels a brooding Christina Ricci. She looks pissed off, but protectively holds her arms over her chest. The stunning woman in Regret at first glance appears strong in a sleeveless fur turtleneck, her blonde hair pinned into Princess Leia buns; but as you step in closer, you realize her eyes are brimming with tears.

The most striking aspect of these women is not their fashion statements but their eyes. Ever-expanding, the eyes of every woman painted stretches across her face. Many are almost without pupils.

Two guys at the preview had opposing views of the women. “This one scares you?” he said to his friend. “What’s wrong with you?” He was clearly enchanted by the women’s beauty. They walked away saying the paintings looked like “women from mars.”

I kept circling around the pictures, looking at them from various angles. Due to their eyes, the women looked very much like characters in a fairy tale that could summon the power of metamorphosis to turn into wild wolves. One painted women in particular conjured up images of changing into something altogether different than who she appeared to be at the moment. She was naked on top, and the painting cut off the brown that started at her waist—was she wearing a skirt, or was she perhaps part fawn? She had a siren-like lure, as if she would use her beauty to ensnare men in the thick of the forest before turning into a more vicious creature.

The dual nature of these women circles back to the exhibition’s title, Anima Sola. In the Catholic tradition, Anima Sola refers to the Lonely Souls who remorsefully worry as they wait for judgment. Perhaps the women in Earley’s paintings suffer for their wicked actions of the past.

So what did Lori Earley wear to her own press function? A tight reddish dress with a little black lace peeking out around the chest. She accessorized with black fishnets, black heels, black jewelry, and a goblet of white wine.