BIOGRAPHY
Throughout her life, Lisa has been creating and exploring her artistic side. From illustration, design, painting and stitching, she has always endeavoured to explore a variety of mediums. Her love of fine art has always been the constant in her life.
A distinctive element of her practice is the reimagining of her own artistic history. Elements from previous original artworks are digitally transformed into new patterns and surfaces, becoming imagined vessels within subsequent compositions. These vessels are then populated with flowers, foliage, insects and other collected or photographed elements, creating layered still lifes in which past and present continually meet.
Her work is influenced by the Aesthetic Movement, the Vienna Secession and the traditions of botanical and decorative art, while also drawing from her experience of the contemporary Dutch still-life tradition. She is particularly interested in the way nature and ornament can carry symbolic meaning, and in the tension between the ordered and the untamed.
Lisa Ann formalised her artistic education at Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design in New Zealand and a subsequent artist residency in Champagne, France became a pivotal experience in the development of her practice.
Through her layered and evolving compositions, Lisa Ann explores the idea that nothing is truly left behind: earlier experiences, images and influences can be transformed and carried forward into something new.
ARTIST STATEMENT
"EFFORT IS NOT MEASURED BY WHAT YOU GET FOR IT, BUT BY WHAT YOU BECOME BECAUSE OF IT" - UNKNOWN
As my artistic practice continues to evolve, I have become increasingly conscious of a shift in both myapproach and my understanding of why I create. The uncertainty brought about by the global pandemic—and the profound changes it imposed on how we live and engage with the world—offered many artists, myself included, the opportunity to slow down, reflect, and reconsider the nature of our creative processes.
In recent years, I have found myself drawn towards a way of working that is meditative, deliberate, and deeply process-driven. This slower, more contemplative approach allows space for exploration, intuition, and discovery, becoming as important as the finished work itself. My practice is informed by a rich pictorial history of previous works, both successful and unsuccessful, each contributing to the development of new pieces. The quiet, repetitive act of cutting, arranging, and sitting with a work as it gradually reveals itself has become a source of immense joy. Through this process, I hope to create moments of curiosity, delight, and reflection for the viewer. As I paint and assemble photographic elements, painterly marks, and found curiosities, I am continually fascinated by how independent artworks emerge from these layered collections. My attention shifts between the grandeur of an expansive landscape and the intricate beauty of a single detail within flora and fauna. By bringing these observations together in compositions that often evoke the qualities of textiles, I find myself inspired by historical decorative traditions, particularly the work of William Morris,Chinese Chinoiserie, and Dutch Masters Botanical design. The inclusion of collected and discovered objects adds further layers of meaning, inviting the eye to linger and explore.
FINE ARTS PROCESS
"CREATION IS THE ARTISTS TRUE FUNCTION:
WHERE THERE IS NO CREATION, THERE IS NO ART".
Henri Matisse
As a process-driven artist, experimentation lies at the heart of my practice. I work across a range of mediums, combining layers of acrylic and watercolour paint with digitally manipulated imagery, photography, collage, gold leaf, charcoal, and pencil. This mixed-media approach allows me to build richly layered works that balance painterly expression with intricate detail.
Many of the botanical elements within my work originate from photographs I have taken of flowers, foliage, insects, and other natural forms observed in their environment. Having nurtured and documented much of this subject matter myself creates a personal connection to the imagery and brings an added sense of meaning to the finished pieces. The natural world continues to be both a source of inspiration and a constant point of reference throughout my practice.
My visual language is informed by the decorative traditions of the Aesthetic Movement and the Vienna Secession, both of which sought to dissolve the boundaries between art and craft. Their celebration of beauty, ornamentation, pattern, and craftsmanship resonates strongly with my own approach. Metallic elements and gold leaf frequently appear within my work, referencing enamelwork, illuminated manuscripts, and historical decorative arts. The elaborate borders, embellishments, and miniature details found in these traditions continue to influence my compositions.
More recently, I have been exploring assemblage as a means of extending my practice beyond the purely pictorial. By combining two-dimensional and three-dimensional elements, I create works that evolve through a process of arranging, layering, and reconfiguring materials until a harmonious composition emerges. This intuitive method allows each artwork to develop organically, with elements remaining in flux until their final placement.
My series, Glossary, emerged unexpectedly from a fascination with unusual and evocative words. As I explored language and expanded my own vocabulary, these words became catalysts for new artworks. Each piece takes its title from a carefully chosen word that also appears within the work itself, serving as both inspiration and point of departure. The intricate construction of these pieces satisfies my attraction to detail and supports a meditative, immersive way of working.
The influence of the Dutch Masters can be seen particularly in my botanical works, where light, composition, and the careful observation of nature play an important role. Historical references often coexist with contemporary digital processes, creating a dialogue between past and present. Previous artworks are frequently transformed and repurposed within new compositions, becoming vessels that carry forward fragments of earlier ideas and experiences.
At the centre of my practice is an ongoing exploration of nature, beauty, and transformation. Through the layering of imagery, materials, and histories, I seek contemporary ways to express my enduring fascination with the botanical world and the stories embedded within it.
My work is ultimately an exploration of how we become — through what we inherit, what we transform, and what we allow ourselves to become.