I am having Mailchimp email delivery issues as you may have noticed.  The posts are getting lumped together and only delivered every few days.  I hope to have it resolved asap.  Please be sure to scroll through what you may have missed and THANK YOU for reading.

I am excited to introduce you to a newly discovered talent for my Artist Spotlight Series feature. 

I love the vibrant and loose abstractions of this artist.

Enjoy getting to know

Lisa Kellner

Northern Maine

What is your training? 

My training includes formal and more informal sources.  I started out at the Art Students League in New York and then spent four or five years at the School of Visual Arts (NYC) where I learned how to draw and paint.  When I lived in New York, I was a mural painter and learned the trade from Pierre Finkelstein.  I also did an artist residency in Ciri, Italy where I learned the art of fresco.  I got my MFA from Lesley University in Cambridge MA.

What inspires you and your designs?

I am inspired by the natural world and also by the shapes of things people build and make.  I take a lot of pictures when I’m walking or just throughout the day, noting the details of certain colors and forms.  I will also make quick little drawings in my sketchbook, one after the other, just to get down the movement of shape and form.  It all ends up in the paintings and deconstructions.

What is your favorite piece? 

My favorite piece is a Deconstructed Painting called, Winnicott.  The title refers to David Winnicott, a pediatrician, who famously said:  “Artists are people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide.”  In this wall sculpture, I wanted to create tension out of subtlety while allowing the space around the forms to become part of the piece.  It’s one of those cases where everything just falls into place for me!

How has your area influenced your work?

I currently live rurally and this environment inevitably seeps into the work.  The shapes and colors of the natural world continue to inspire me.  I am also interested in playing with the lines of landscape, a horizon line where the sea meets the ocean or a view through mature trees, skewing them into a more minimalist painting.  I also travel a lot and enjoy being open to new places and what they have to offer.

What is your favorite restaurant in your area?

My favorite restaurant is a Sri Lankin restaurant called Serendib in Ellsworth, Maine. It’s about an hour drive from where I live but so worth it!  The lamb in Indian butter sauce is to die for!

What is your favorite cocktail?

When I am drinking, it is a margarita.  Right now I am doing a pretty tough physical challenge and so a good seltzer with ice and a spritz of kombucha does the job!

How do you balance personal life and work?

By taking walks in nature, hiking and kayaking.  I find balance to be something to strive for every single day and I am not always successful at it!

Dream trip?

A hiking trip in Vietnam, Ireland or the Camino from Portugal to Spain.  the latter I intend to do this coming spring!

Dream commission?

A large scale commission that incorporates several large paintings with several Deconstructed Paintings all in one space.  I would love to immerse myself in the given location, letting these minimalist abstract works be the response to the place where they will be installed.

Your favorite host / hostess gift to give?

44 North coffee from Deer isle, Maine

Who is your style icon?

Norma Kamali circa 1980s

Your favorite up and coming artist?

Molly Thomson who lives in Scotland I believe.  I love her process and willingness to allow imperfection into the work.

What is your most treasured possession?

My studio space.

 

What are you reading?

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin.  It is fantastic and I read a chapter every night.

What are you listening to?

Holly Humberstone and Sam Fender on repeat.  Lately a lot of classical operas as well.

What are your favorite blogs / publications?

The English Room of course!  Also, The Mindful Movement blog, AHTcast, an artist interview blog and Authentic Obsessions a podcast/blog for artists.

Here is a look at her incredible work…

 

Double Dose of Daily Desires:

(email subscribers open in a browser to view content)