BIO
Throughout her life, Lisa has been creating and exploring her artistic side. From illustration, design, painting and stitiching, she has always endeavoured to explore a variety of mediums. Her love of fine art has always been the constant in her life.
Formalising her artistic practice at Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design achieving high merit in her undergraduate Certificate in Foundation followed by high merit in a Certificate of Fine Arts and Design. Being accepted into a Artist Residency in Champagne, France had an enormous affect on Lisa's practice and was a pivotal moment in her artist career.
Lisa creates out of her studio in Waihi, New Zealand, and when possible, from her studio in The Netherlands. The difference between the southern and northern hemispheres, both culturally and visually, energises and stimulates her creative experience. The beautiful native bush, mountains, rivers and her own forest garden are her inspiration.
ARTIST STATEMENT
"EFFORT IS NOT MEASURED BY WHAT YOU GET FOR IT, BUT BY WHAT YOU BECOME BECAUSE OF IT" - UNKNOWN
As my art practice evolves, I am conscious of a shift in my approach to my work. I am contemplating and examining why I work the way I do and what drives me. Because of the uncertainty of the world-wide pandemic, its affect on how we live and approach our lives, I feel I have, like many artists, been given the opportunity and time to reflect and slow-down.
As my work has evolved over the past years, I am finding I am drawn to a new way of working that facilitates my need for an equal representation of detail and gestural painterly marks.
Within my painterly works, collaged elements are added. These are either paint skins removed from one surface and adhered to my ground, or digitally manipulations of previous works by me. The addition of these collage papers adds another level of interest. The pictorial history of past works - either successful or unsuccessful, influence new pieces. My own illustrations and photographs are often included and add additional interest and intrigue. A new collection with a starting point of beautiful words that are descriptive and emotive, are offering me endless expressive possibilities and direction. The mediative process of cutting and sitting quietly with a work as it evolves, is such a joy and I am hopeful the viewer finds delight in this new orientation.
As I paint and methodically assemble my various elements and paint skins, I am always intrigued how new independent artworks are formed from a collection of these previous pieces. I find myself examining not only the entirety of a particular vista but also the intricacy of a minute section of flora and fauna. Combining these visually together almost textile like, I am often reminded of the textile designers of the past - particularly William Morris, Chinese Chinoiserie and Japanese Kimono design. I am influenced by their use of repeat motifs and throughout my work you will find images that appear frequently. I use the honeycomb motif as a symbol of the divine harmony in nature; the honeysuckle for pure happiness and the poppy pod as a pictorial reference of peace. As I continue with my practice, more and more motifs are coming into play.
For the viewer, I endeavour to offer a respite from the constant bombardment of negative news stories and bleak forecasts. To offer a moment in time for them to relax and to encourage them to find some solace in nature and the amazing world we inhabit.
The flora and fauna that surround my New Zealand studio is a constant inspiration that always uplifts and brings delight even on the most cloudy days.
PROCESS
"CREATION IS THE ARTISTS TRUE FUNCTION:
WHERE THERE IS NO CREATION, THERE IS NO ART".
Henri Matisse
As a process driven artist, I enjoy experimenting with a variety of mediums. Layers of acrylic and watercolour paint, collaged digitally manipulated art from my own original works, ink, charcoal and pencil. Paint is often removed from one ground to another and collaged into place thereby eliminating brush strokes and textures. This transfer of paint while time consuming and labor intensive, adds a element of interest and provides a connection to the collaged aspect of my work.
The Aesthetic Movement and the Vienna Succession (1897-1914) have been very influential to my own arts practice. Blurring the line between art and craft, giving each equal merit in my compositions, enables me to indulge in my love of pattern, painterly expression and ornamentation. Pieces often have a gold leaf or a metallic element reminiscent of enamel work, and pay homage to the artisans of the illuminated manuscripts. The flourishes used in these manuscripts, such as borders and the miniature illustrations seen in these ancient works are influential to my practice.
Artist models like William Morris and Louis Comfort Tiffany combined with more contemporary artists such as Frank Stella, Beatriz Milhazes, Rex Ray and Raelene Stevens all influence my process. Marianne Norths' iconic collection held at Kew Gardens along with Maria Sybylla Merian (with her research into insects and amphibians and butterflies - not only significant scientifically but aesthetically beautiful), give impetus to new works. I find all these artist models' composition, use of colour and detail so inspirational!
As I begin to move forward in my practice, common elements and motifs are appearing more often. A new body of work is beginning whereby these constants are used in a more ordered way on a reduced colour palette - experimenting with the myriad of tones and shades within one colour is leading me into a place where I feel completely comfortable. Working with repeat patterns and still influenced by my artists models, I am interested in experimenting with how many layers these mono-tonal works can handle before they obliterate into one singular colour.
Another equally significant new body of work is running alongside these mono-tonal works. As I delve into collage as an fine art form, I am experimenting with more 3d elements combined with 2d elements. The beginning point of this new collection came about quite by chance. As I was investigating new beautiful words for my own language expansion, I found that these unusual words were the beginning of my new collection aptly named "Glossary". Each word appears in the artwork and is also the title of each piece. The intricate nature of these works facilitates my need to get absorbed in detail and I find this way of working meditative and absorbing. Multi layers of images are used for this new collection. As I move my illustrations, photos and digital patterns around to form a cohesive pictorial piece; elements are in flux until the point of completion where they are finally adhered into place. I feel there will be an endless pursuit to find new, beautiful, expressive words that act as starting points for these artworks.