Lori Earley is taking over New York City one gallery at a time. Her latest show, “Anima Sola,” features ten gigantic paintings, ranging in price from $50,000 to $90,000 (and all sold out) on display at the Opera Gallery in Soho. Earley has this innate ability to paint female portraits that look so real, they could be photos. Her use of oil paints is uncanny. Look as hard as you can, and you won’t be able to find a brush stroke or a flaw. The skin is pale as a bar of dove soap, and every girl sports a set of Earley’s trademark piercing eyes. You can’t help but fall in love with every single painting. One of the coolest things about this show is that it’s not at one of the local galleries that traditionally deal in pop surrealism. Opera is know for selling works by the masters, and it’s fabulous that Earley can now hold court in the same venue as Gauguin and Dali. At the opening preview night, Earley was swarmed by fans and interested buyers, Ron English stopped by to take photos and chat up the locals, and art critics young and old commented positively about the new star in the contemporary art scene. The show will run from April 28 through May 19, 2007, with an opening reception this Saturday, April 28 from 6 to 9pm.