I didn’t always know I was a painter. I had taken some watercolour classes in my teens, but by my early 20s, I had packed away my brushes and paints. My real love at that time was black and white portrait photography fueled by learning how to develop my own film.
However, when I moved from a small town to the big city, it was painting, not photography, that enlivened my emotional response to the world around me. Initially, I painted on cardboard and on old pieces of plywood I found in the garage and out back in the alley. I painted on old sheets and pieces of pressboard. I used the edges of picture frames as large “brushes” and applied paint with nails, chopsticks, kitchen utensils. I kept painting, and painting, and painting, using whatever materials I could find.
Over time, my body of work expanded and deepened. I moved on to canvas and wood panels, got to know and love paddle brushes. I discovered the intricacies of mixing colours and layers. I came to see how my work translated the imprint of social and geographical experiences on my memory and concepts of beauty. These themes intertwined into abstract and atmospheric paintings, delicately playful works on paper, and photo-based impressionism.
My artist residences in the Canadian prairies and northern Iceland, cemented my realization of how influential surroundings are to my creative process. I knew then that I was a painter, and that inspiration came from my environment. I name some of my series after neighbourhoods and streets (e.g., Hawks Series—a street in Vancouver) that have played a role in my artistic explorations. Other series give a nod to my underlying themes of inspiration (e.g., IAOTA – In Anticipation of the Arctic; IIWAM – If I Were a Musician).
Along the way I have been fortunate to share my work in numerous solo and group exhibitions. Recent solo exhibitions include nah und fern, a contemplation on the effect of place on painting for Space Grotesk, Basel, Switzerland and A Few of my Favourite Things, storytelling through paintings and photography for The Kube Studios, Gibsons, Canada. Group shows include Vert and Behind the Seen for Parker Projects, Vancouver, Canada and Love Letters in Hofsos, Iceland. I am grateful for the features in magazines, newspapers, prominent art blogs, in film and television and that my work can be found in private and public collections around the world.
Nineteen years on I continue to paint, observe, and share. Throughout it all, I explore new surroundings and draw from the richness of the world around us.
Thanks for stopping by,
Lisa
PS: Contact me if you are looking for a complete artist statement and CV.