As a direct carver, Goulet worked intuitively, forgoing preparatory studies or maquettes and allowing the raw stone to guide her process. In this sculpture, she reveals a solitary female figure, nude, yet modestly rendered, emerging seamlessly from the very block of stone on which she is poised. The figure’s smooth, polished skin contrasts with the rough, untouched surfaces surrounding her, emphasizing both her presence and her connection to the material. Goulet’s deep engagement with the stone’s natural qualities, from its form to its texture, shaped not only the figure’s pose but the quiet strength it conveys.

Goulet was a sculptor whose career may have been overshadowed by her husband, sculptor José de Creeft, and never fully received the recognition she deserved in a field few women pursued. Though somewhat overlooked in terms of achieving broader acclaim, her oeuvre reflects a life marked by tireless work, a dedicated career, and unwavering commitment to her art.

“Direct carving is a way of life. It’s a way of seeing things” – Lorrie Goulet

Goulet was never part of any art movement, choosing instead to focus solely on one subject throughout her career: the human figure, producing over 500 works over the span of seven decades. Her exhibition history began in 1948 and includes numerous Annual Exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, as well as a notable installation at the 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair.

Born in Riverdale, NY, Lorrie Goulet knew she was an artist early on. In 1932, at the age of seven, she met Aimee Le Prince Voorhees at The Inwood Pottery Studio, which Voorhees had founded with her husband Harry. Goulet studied with Voorhees for four crucial years, reflecting once that “It was one of my happiest experiences”. After moving to the West Coast with her family, she apprenticed with local ceramicist Jean Rose, in 1940. However, it was not until 1943 that Goulet entered art school full time, enrolling at the venerated Black Mountain College in North Carolina. There, she was able to study painting and drawing with Josef Albers, as well as weaving (with Albers’ wife, Annie). It was at Black Mountain that Goulet also met her future husband, the established sculptor José de Creeft, four decades her senior. A visiting instructor at the time, de Creeft is perhaps best known for his 16-foot “Alice In Wonderland” bronze sculpture in Central Park. The couple was married in the fall of 1944. Two years later, they acquired a farm in Hoosick Falls, New York. Through 1968, they worked part of each year there while raising their daughter, Donna Maria de Creeft.

Her sculpture can be found in the permanent collections of museums such as Wichita Museum of Art in Kansas, National Academy of Design in New York City and the Joseph H. Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C. In 1998, Lorrie Goulet was honored by the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C. with a solo exhibition titled "Fifty Years of Making Sculpture". She has had over 30 solo exhibitions at fine art galleries since 1948.