The finished Blue Jay-Shapeshifter watercolor painting

April is one of those pivotal months during the year that marks a time of transition and preparation. I spent two weeks giving my house a deep spring cleaning as a way to purge the debris of a season gone by and to commemorate new beginnings and a period of creative fecundity ahead. Even though I was busy renewing my surroundings, I continued to work on my bird project along with some Spirit Drawing orders. All the while, thoughts of the Ghosts and Spirits Tarot‘s imminent release is having me doing the pre-publication anticipatory dance—waiting, wondering, hoping and a host of emotions that accompany getting published.

I think Blue Jay-Shapeshifter is symbolic of this dance with all the feathers and roots symbolizing an extension of fervent activity. My 11 year old son Connor, who is becoming quite the artist in his own right, is a wonderful, candid critic of my work. I had hit a wall and wasn’t sure how to bring the visual chaos together. He looked at it and said “Mom, those details are crazy—how do you keep it all in order?” I suppose it’s metaphorical of a busy life. How do we keep balance during these busy days? I rarely go to bed thinking, “I got so much done today.” I’m usually lying there thinking about all that I have to do tomorrow. But I’m also realizing that this is not a bad thing—this is one’s motivational force, the part of the daydreaming ego that keeps us pushing on. I’ve also learned to pace myself and enjoy the process along the way. Rather than one big achievement, it’s the balance of energies that provide us with daily feelings of accomplishment. There is no next big thing. The next big thing is always here in your heart and soul fueling an inspiring life along the way. The recognition of this internal divine, one’s personal power is the very definition of success.

The Blue Jay understands this:

“Connecting with the power of blue jay means becoming the master of your energies. Work on completing one level of achievement at a time…”~Lesley Morrison, The Healing Power of Birds

Blue Jay watercolor painting in progress before Connor provided invaluable advice.

Back to Connor. He provided an objective view of a painting that I’ve been spending far too many days on. “Mom, you need to push the warmer colors at the top of the painting and I think you need to make his face more colorful”. How right he was and how thankful I am to have a child who appreciates art and everything that I’m doing in the studio. Thank you for helping me see Blue Jay-shapeshifter with more discerning eyes, Connor.

In other Hunt-Kramerville news:

Welcome to Fairy Tale Corners

More cozy corners

Here our cat Timmy is King of the Castle

Toys and books are an integral part of Fairy Tale Corners' decor

This is one of my favorite cozy corners in the house. There are fruit trees and a vegetable garden right outside the window. Kyra swears she has spotted fairies dancing amid blossoms.

Spring cleaning includes taking the bunnies out for tea

This pretty much sums it up!

Art is life! Treat everything you do as if it’s a new adventure.

~ Lisa

Kyra gardening in our yard

Yes, Florida has seasons though the one’s I experience here in South Florida are subtle and less dramatic than other corners of the world. But having been a resident of the subtropics for a good portion of my adult life, I am familiar with the harbingers that signal new cycles. As April approaches, mango trees begin to bud, tomato plants flower, the days are getting longer and warmer, and snowbirds (both animal and human) begin to migrate North. The days of open-window freshness will soon shut with the arrival of the hot, humid, rainy season–a period I call Florida hibernation and long days in the studio. I love all the seasons and feel every month has its special charm and sources of inspiration. Oftentimes my artwork will reflect how I feel about the natural world and how it mirrors our own cyclical tendencies.

Finished Robin-Shapeshifter watercolor painting

Robin-Shapeshifter signifies the “dawning of the new, resurrection, and birth”. It is a hopeful piece serving as a reminder that nothing ever really ends but merely changes form.

Bluejay-Shapeshifter watercolor-in-progress. What a fun painting to work on! The finished painting should be posted at the end of March.

With the changing seasons, I’m also working on giving my entire Lisa Hunt Art website (with the help of webmaster Kort) an overhaul with simplicity and clarity being my main objective. If anyone has any suggestions/ideas about what she/he would like to see on my new site, please leave a comment. It would be greatly appreciated. I think a good rule of thumb is to renew a website every 2 years or so, reflecting changing styles and technology. Over time, what I have now has become obsolete and woefully disorganized.

I’ve also finished up over 50 Spirit Drawings. What an inspiring adventure it has been! Check out my growing gallery of drawings commissioned by people from all over the globe. Thank you to everyone who purchased a one-of-a-kind drawing from me. Keep an eye out for a future offer as the Ghosts and Spirits Tarot release draws near. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter if you haven’t already.

Spirit Drawings ready to be shipped out.

Speaking of which, my 3-part interview for US Games is now live. If you leave a comment, you will automatically be entered into a drawing. The winner will be announced at the end of the month. For best viewing results be sure to use Firefox as your browser when reading the USG interview otherwise the images will look like film negatives.

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In Other Hunt-Kramerville News:

Kids, cats and books: sharing in the joy of reading. This is the one room where the kids are quiet for long periods of time. When books and toys ARE the clutter, that's okay by me.

Life as art…

When feelings get hurt, what better way to help patch things up than giving a little art? This made Kyra's friend Emme very happy. Now they're back to being BFF. Good job, Kyra. Too bad you can't see the long ponytails here. They are really cute.

Kyra and I taken on March 11, 2012

Wishing everyone wonderful thoughts of Spring!

~Lisa

Watercolor painting-in-progress: Robin-Shapeshifter

No, none of us were instant rock stars. Our success is an ongoing journey where evidence of our wayfaring hopefully runs deep into the roots of lasting impressions. The successful people I most admire are those that keep on trekking without looking over their shoulder; those who elevate others in the process and who see “competition” as inspiration rather than a source of contention or an aberration. I’ve always thought and said, (especially while I was a teacher) “Be who YOU are and don’t worry about what you think you have to be!”. Make your own mark and people will notice by default.

Lisa in the early 1990's

Lauren Mills, award winning author/illustrator of children’s books, sculptor, painter, and instructor

Jeffrey Zurawin, A.P., D.O.M, Acupuncture Physician and Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Owner, Lifegate Acupuncture

Tara Larsen Chang, Children’s book illustrator,  Event Organizer for TLC Workshops/Professional Art Series

Gary Lippincott, Gary A. Lippincott, Artist & Illustrator specializing in fantasy and historical Illustration and children’s books

Joanna Powell Colbert, Artist ~ Writer ~ Teacher

"Stroll into a Fairy Tale" by Kort Kramer

Sell sheet for Ghosts and Spirits Tarot. To be published in April 2012

Connor created a cool 3-D Animal Cell Project for Science class. It was a good review for us rusty-brained parents too. I almost forgot what Mitochondria was! Thanks Connor.

Kyra did a timeline report on one of her favorite Jazz singers, Billie Holiday. I highly recommend you search "Fine and Mellow" on YouTube to get a taste of live Cool Blues/Jazz of the 1950s at its finest.

She was also chosen "Super Star Student" and was allowed to take home the class mascot "Coconut" home for the weekend. Part of her selection required that she/we create a poster of her achievements and snapshots from her life and family. Coconut approved.

~ Lisa

With all these thoughts of what success means percolating in my mind–especially during an era of uncertainty–I asked esteemed colleagues how they define it. The array of insightful responses delighted me. I was immediately struck by a collective motif of self-awareness: success is not necessarily a tangible measurement of material gains but rather, it is a state of mind. When most people hear the word “success”, they (at first anyway) may think fame and fortune; an alliteration fixed in the psyche. But monetary reward is not the defining element in these interesting reveries. Read on and judge for yourself. I hope that you derive much inspiration from these fabulous contributors who have created their own unique paths to success!

I've had this quote by the late actress Betty Davis hanging in my studio for years

Kris Waldherr, Author, Illustrator, and Designer

I define career success as the ability to make a good living creating publications which have meaning and integrity to me. The other part of my equation for success is that every project I take on should help me grow as an artist and as a human. I need to feel that I’m never stagnating with my work—that I’m constantly learning and evolving. And I think I have: my first job in publishing was as a children’s book illustrator and designer. (It shocks me to realize that this was over two decades ago.) Since then, I’ve expanded into writing and packaging gift books, creating iPhone apps, tarot decks, and so much more. And now my work has evolved into writing historical fiction, a whole new world. All of this progression feels organic, though if I’d known where I’d end up when I’d started out as a twenty year old, I’d be pretty surprised.

Lynn Araujo, PhD Director of Communications U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Early in my publishing career success meant setting and reaching goals. Success was measured by specific achievements, or the final product of my work. Now, it’s more about the way I work, and the integrity of the
process. I feel successful knowing that the energy I put into my creative projects comes back multi-fold as part of something bigger.

Barbara Moore, Author/Tarotist/Blogger, Acquisitions Llewellyn Publications

To me, it is imperative that everyone define it for themselves. And the definition, I bet, changes for people over time. I am successful because:

• I do what I love (mostly)

• I get to be creative in work and “work-related” things

• I feel like my peers know who I am and what I’ve done.

• I feel very recognized and valued by my peers.

• I love having some control over my earnings because I feel financial independence is empowering.

Brenda Parker, ATCL (Piano)/ LTCL(Piano)/ LTCL(Violin), Pianist/Educator

Success is a reward of overwhelming happiness you feel in your emotions after achieving your heart`s deepest desire. Like me or my students accomplishing playing a difficult piece of music fluently after studying it and practicing it a lot. I also feel successful when I feel like I have helped someone or an animal have a better life or managed to advise someone and help them overcome a difficult time in their life. Success the best way for me would be in a win win situation that has everyone involved happy. Success comes in many ways and many times in different forms.

Rebecca Zins, Senior Editor Llewellyn Publications

I think it’s a balance of internal knowing you done good and external reinforcement of that via others patting you on the head. Both have to be in place in order to truly feel successful.

Kort Kramer, Art Director PDI-SAT / Freelance Photographer

I think some form of recognition is a key component to “success”, but you have to feel happy with what you’ve accomplished otherwise it rings hollow. External validation is wonderful and monetary reward is always a plus, but what you think of yourself is the only true way to lasting happiness. If you feel you’ve done something and done it well, then you can move on to the next goal with a clear mind and not need further reinforcement. Fame is ephemeral, but true success is your lasting mark upon this world, whether it comes from creating masterpieces of art to raising your children to be good people.

Mickie Mueller, Owner The Mickie Mueller Collection, Author / Artist

Doing what you love and being happy while being able to pay the bills and have a little left over for some fun.  Just getting out there and taking a chance on yourself makes you a success. Taking that big leap of faith is something that everyone who ever found success had to do, they might have been scared to do it, but they just did it anyway. You have to dream it first, and then of course you have to do it, believe it and make it happen!

Thank you everyone who generously took time to contribute to this post.  More to come so stay tuned!

————

In Hunt-Kramerville news:
Valentine’s Day Fun

Kyra's homemade Valentines for school

Purple tulips, 'champagne', chocolate and a fairy tale book. What more could a woman want?

~ Lisa

January is turning into a “studio hermit” month as drawing and painting have slowly supplanted the hullaballoo of the holidays. The Swallow-Shapeshifter painting-in-progress had been on the board for a while due to other pressing commitments. But the “break” allowed its after-image-glow to seer into the depths of consciousness and materialize into a more thoughtful, well-executed image. I like this piece as it encompasses everything I love about doing art. It’s always hard to explain exactly what the creative drive is all about, but in the barest of explications, I think it’s a transverse humming of the soul; an intersection of energy that coalesces into something penetrable and emotive.

Finished pencil drawing and initial watercolor washes.

Washes are followed by the drybrushing of details.

The finished Swallow-Shapeshifter watercolor painting

In other Hunt-Kramerville news:

A creative life is anything but a pristine one, as many of my author, artist and musician friends would concur. As much as I would love to maintain command of my surrounds, I often have to make choices that exclude household fastidiousness. I probably take the “A clean house is a sign of a wasted life” too much to heart. Given how jam-packed my days are, negotiating studio time and/or practicing piano or well, just being mom; dusting and other mundane labors are allowed to languish on the backlog of to-dos.

The happy corner of the kitchen and the magical realm that is Kyra's bedroom.

My mother-in-law, who has the “perfect” home,  passes on her House and Garden-style magazines to me—often somewhat butchered by her gregarious scissor hands, but with enough intact to provide me with sensual escapism. I don’t really read these periodicals, but I will leaf through dreamy pages of idyllic perfection as I proceed to fantasize about my own interior decorating choices. But more times than not, rather than being dazzled by overall layouts, I will hone in on nooks and crannies and the details that give personalized expression to one’s domicile. In between piles of chaos, I nurture cozy corners in my home; little pockets of pleasure that tell stories about the inhabitants and offer temporary reprieve from the debris of a life well lived.

The corner of my bedroom, a space of quietude and good fairy tale reads. On the shelf I have a book entitled "Colors" that friend/fan Lloyd Goatee had made for me. You can also see my dear friend Kris Waldherr's portrait of Isis and a gorgeous Waterhouse poster that she had sent to me. The teddy bear is one of my oldest possessions circa 1970--full of patches and holes from a lifetime of adoration. Every single object in this photo tells its own story.

This is all I seem to be able to maintain without big fuss—a small blissful exercise in nesting. Do you have sacred spaces in your home? Do you pay close attention to the apexes that bring a room together and perhaps serve as subconscious stability?

I think for me, my cozy corners help to balance creative distractions and smatterings of overwhelmed-ness. I notice that our furry, feathery creature companions tend to gravitate to these comfort zones. I think this says it all.

Kippers and Snowy in the corner of the library. Elsa with her alligator friend on the corner of our bed.

When I walk into my studio, the first thing I see is one of my cozy corners. That seems to set the right balance for a day that will certainly be filled by messy creative activity.

Kyra doing what she loves to do the most: reading fairy tales.

In this house, we all like to curl up to a good book in a cozy nook.

~ Lisa

Spirit Drawings

I just mailed out the last of holiday orders—drawing right up until the last possible moment to assure delivery of goodies. I can happily report that I have completed and mailed almost 40 Spirit Drawings in the last few months (Yes, I’m still taking orders). What a ride and what a great way to keep everything energized in the studio!  In between working on commissions for people from around the world, I managed to finish up Ghosts and Spirits Tarot (at the printer as I write), and work on paintings for my Bird project.

Here are a few newly rendered drawings stretched on boards and ready for paint:

Pencil renderings of Robin-Shapeshifter and Grouse-Shapeshifter. Robin-Shapeshifter illustrates dawning of the new, resurrection and birth--appropriate as we approach another year cycle.

With one eye on the 2011 hourglass, I’m cleaning up the studio and am reflecting on the approaching holidays. In my house we fully embrace the magic of this time of year. Our yearly ritual entails discarding clutter and old energy in anticipation of the new year ahead and the sense of renewal that accompanies it.  What will you be doing to prepare for 2012? Do you plan to break any chains and let go of those things that are weighing you down?

Jacob Marley and his chains from the Ghost and Spirits Tarot. The painting was still stapled on the watercolor board when this was scanned.

15 Chains (Jacob Marley)

In A Christmas Carol, Jacob Marley was Ebenezer Scrooge’s business partner and only friend. On Christmas Eve, the anniversary of Marley’s death, his ghost paid Scrooge an unexpected visit. The ghost’s chains, cash box and padlocks encumbered his spirit and served as reminders of his material-driven life. Marley comes to his parsimonious partner as a symbol of this potential dreadful fate, telling him to expect three spirit encounters. The ghost of Jacob Marley hangs in limbo as the shadows of an illusionary life keep his spirit in a state of stasis.

Divinatory meaning: You are harboring obsessive desires that cannot fill an empty void. Instead, it is weighing you down with deep-seated dissatisfaction. Open your eyes to the truth and start recognizing what is truly important.

(From the Ghosts & Spirits Tarot, due to be published early 2012)

In other Hunt-Kramerville news:

After almost 7 years of intense training, our 11 year old son earned his Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. With his Black Belt, his Master finally cut off his Padawan braid. Connor transitioned from boy to young man—with his Black Belt heart and mind there to navigate him through his challenging middle grade years (yes, bullies are a persistent fixture in the preteen landscape). There is something to wearing a Black Belt—it alters a person and makes the individual feel keenly aware of one’s environment. It also instills a confidence that goes with having journeyed from an unaware white belt to a humbled black belt who has learned to expect the unexpected. Once a black belt, one’s perception is forever altered: from the ashes rises the warrior ready to take on life’s challenges with perspicacious intent. Connor holds his head higher, appears more focused and exudes a positive energy that says “here’s a good, conscientious guy”. I’m proud of what he’s accomplished and feel confident that he will remain on the path of good character and future achievement.

Connor's Black Belt ceremony. Photos by Kort Kramer 2011

Meanwhile, here’s a clip from our 7 year old daughter’s recital.

Her piano professor, who is a brilliant musician and masterful instructor, told me “She is going to be great when she’s eight!”. We’ll see, but for now, I’m enjoying watching this ray of sunshine grow.

At the Lynn University Conservatory venue in Boca Raton where Kyra performed

Kyra performing while her teacher looks on. It's a good sign that he's smiling!

Wishing everyone a very healthy happy holiday and an inspirational year ahead!

~Lisa

If you were to wander the grounds of my New England childhood, you would definitely see how nature influenced my artistic path. The dappled lighting, the deciduous trees and leaf covered woods are nothing short of mysterious and magical. Everything hums with life and suggests something sacred. My art wasn't so much about imagination, it was about connecting with my surroundings.

Mom & Pop pay homage to the Fae world by acquiring gargoyles and gnomes. I remember how much my father hated cutting trees! Here's my daughter Kyra holding an abandoned bird nest while conferring with a fantastical friend.

Mom still has some of my nature inspired early artwork. Pop still has my first car that's being taken over by nature.

During my visit, Mom asked me to retrieve an abandoned bird's nest for her collection.

A deep love for birds and bird nests is obviously not ours alone! On the right you can see how birds may have influenced artists such as Patrick Dougherty. This was taken at the Florence Griswold Museum in Lyme, CT. Connor can be seen standing next to his sculptures as my Mom approaches.

Here’s an example of what I started working on after I returned from my trip. The visual stimulus was transcribed onto paper from memory. All of that inspirational ‘food’ had to go somewhere! The trees, the rocks, the hills…

Pencil drawing (before watercolor application) for a collectible card game to be published in the near future

Here’s another painting I’m working on that was inspired by birds, nature and other organic wonders that seep into my psyche and are brought to life with pencil and paint. My artwork reflects a connection with my surroundings–something pulsing and alive and a part of us all.

This is a close-up of Swan Shapeshifter in-progress. Yes, I use a lot of different blues as the world is full of vibrant subtlety. It's truly impossible to capture the full breadth of Mother Nature's palette.

Speaking of birds…

My studio companions Snowflake and Kippers (who love to sit on my art table lamp) oversee the bird paintings, quite literally. Um, yes, I have a poop catcher for them.

~ Lisa

Me with my Mommy 1968-69 (Mom called me her "Wildhorse")

Mom was a stunning woman. She had that jaw-dropping beauty that made heads turn. She reminded me of Elizabeth Montgomery from Bewitched fame, a TV show I loved watching as a kid. From my point of view, Mom breathed magic. But more than that, Mom was an artist and a darn good storyteller too. She was beautiful and brilliant, everything I hoped to be.  She is a voracious reader and can recite Göethe verbatim; with a deep understanding that reflects a woman of great intelligence. Her own love of books certainly fostered my book-collecting habits!

Mom's childhood--fantasies, dreams and all

When she was a little girl, drawing, telling stories, and reading were her passions. She made beautiful books and earned A’s in writing class for her extraordinary talents, often compensating for her less than stellar performance in those subjects she had little interest in. She saved these fully-illustrated treasures that I am now gratefully in possession of. As a child, I pored over her sketches and wondered how she could pluck so many ideas out of  thin air and sketch with such technical facility. I remember how badly I wanted to draw as well as she did and I’m quite sure those creations from her formative years impacted mine.

Mom's homemade books created during her teen years. She titled them "Freetime" and "Our Three Girl House" (about life with 2 sisters).

As a child, my mom's drawings were awe-inspiring!

Mom's writing and pen and ink work were beautiful!

Oh, how I loved this drawing. It had a wonderful narrative quality.

Like Mom, I excelled at what I loved to do but tended to get bored when something failed to inspire (something both my mom and I regret about ourselves). But Mom was the one who showed me how interesting history could be, by giving me the human side of past triumphs and failings. The intricacies of the human condition were often glossed over in educational texts, but mom helped to fill in the gaps and fed my lifelong interest in mythos and analytical psychology.

Mom spoke “gemischt” with me—both English and German. My early childhood books were comprised of two languages. In fact, I spoke German before I spoke English, though I didn’t find this out until much later. Eventually English took over, but my love for Märchen (fairy tales) never dissipated. If you look closely at the photo, you will recognize subject matter that later served as my basic imaginative palette for writing and illustrating.

My favorite childhood books that I still have and cherish.

You can imagine how delighted I was when The Fairy Tale Tarot was translated into German…

The Fairy Tale Tarot available in both English and German.

Due to life circumstances, mom never pursued an art/writing career, but she has always been supportive of mine. She has even posed for me, most recently as The Hermit from Fantastical Creatures Tarot.

Mom as a Hermit, still breathing magic (From Fantastical Creatures Tarot published by US Games Systems)

Mom and I didn’t always see eye to eye (as moms and daughters are notorious for butting heads!), but as I grow older —I am understanding and appreciating her more and more; especially as my own “Wildhorse” daughter shows some of the same interests and proclivities that Mom and I share. Mom was and is one of my biggest inspirations. I hope I can be just like her when I grow up!

Thank you, Mom.

One of my favorite pictures of Mom and I taken at a Renaissance Fair in 1988.

~ Lisa

The library, where life happens. Connor is hiding behind the chair. It's obvious he wants to play a game of chess. This is one of 4 bookcases in the house, actually maybe 5 or 6---I lost count.

Just when I thought I was done with spring cleaning, I spontaneously decided to clean my bookcases. Like my editor said to me on a Facebook post about this latest ambitious endeavor: “Sometimes cleaning out the cobwebs is good for the psyche and the soul!” How very true, especially as I wait to get her edits back! The book-cleaning whim doesn’t happen all that often, so when it does, I know I have to just dive in and do it. There is a good reason for this: I have a lot of books and these books have a way of seducing me into their distracting embrace. I’ve been an avid collector of books since my teens—moving them from home to home was never an easy challenge. But now that I’ve settled, they’ve settled too—taking on the scents and energy of our lives in Hunt-Kramerville.

A sign that hangs up in the kids' reading room

Their very presence provides comfort and intellectual stimulation; and the kids are more studious when sitting in their “reading room”. This is probably why people love to sit and read in libraries. It takes a person to a quiet, relaxing place where books are the focus.  I know my guests are at instant ease when they walk into my home. The books are there to greet them. They’re unpretentious, welcoming and often do the talking for us!

Books in the kids' reading room

Given all the discussion surrounding real books vs. virtual ones, I think it all depends on what you expect from your books. My books are more than something to read. My books are like good friends—reliable, loyal and there no matter what, even if we lose power. Turning an actual page stimulates my brain in ways a computer cannot. But that does not mean that I’m dismissive of eBooks. I simply see them as another entity—connected and alive in a different way—but not in a way that can absorb the energies and vibes of the home like material books can. Honestly, I wouldn’t even put them in the same category. It’s like slow simmer or instant microwave. I choose to slow simmer and largely ignore my microwave. But the convenience of the microwave is there–instant satisfaction if I need something quick and easy. I see a place for both the conventional stove and the microwave just like I see a place for both real books and virtual ones. Both are nice to have but serve up food in a different way.

Timmy wants nothing to do with eBooks. He prefers real ones, thank you very much.

Timmy , The Sleeping Beauty

~ Lisa

The finished Heron-Shapeshifter watercolor painting

One of the most common questions I get as a professional watercolorist is: “How long does it take you to paint a picture?”. That’s a fair question though not an easy one to answer. It depends on a variety of factors including: subject matter, the amount of detail, how a painting flows along and even the level of distraction one may have to reconcile when one is working in one’s home. Distractions like kids and kitties.

Timmy, Kyra and Elsa giving me a dose of cuteness

I can say this for sure: I’m a much more efficient and confident painter now than I was 20 years ago. I’m also less fearful of taking risks and following my heart, something that has helped me avoid creative disasters and technical difficulties. The heart and soul direct the painting, not the hand, not my education and certainly not what I think people may want to see. This total liberation of one’s creativity makes for efficient, and mostly satisfying days in the studio.

One can see the difference if one compares images from my first tarot project created back in the mid-nineties to the works I’ve done in recent years. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still proud of what I had accomplished with Shapeshifter Tarot. But it was painted using a younger, more timid brain. Like the soft hues of “The Dreamer” in the painting below, my  artistic voice was still a quiet whisper that needed to develop its vibrato.

My first big project: Shapeshifter Tarot 1995-97.

During those early years, I drew and painted with painstaking care. I was slow and inexperienced and sometimes let deadline anxieties get the better of me. My fear of making mistakes made for long hours in the studio. Thank goodness I was young at the time and could get by with little sleep.

Lisa in the 1990s with a Shapeshifter portrait of 60s music icon Donovan

Fast forward to 2011:

Many paintings and publications later…

The once insecure girl is now a bold woman in her mid-forties who takes on each painting with gusto and know-how. That doesn’t mean I don’t make mistakes, but now I know how to work with those mistakes to great effect. With my current project, the paintings are large, alive and symphonious. The frigidiy is gone, the paint strokes deliberate and the time clock is non-existant (yes, there is a deadline, but I no longer fret about it). If I would have to guess, each bird-shapeshifter is taking me about a month and the process is pure, uninhibited enjoyment. That is a luxury that I feel I’ve earned and one I’m thoroughly enjoying.

Initial watercolor washes

Halfway through

Final details and dry brushing

And thanks to modern technology, I can scan my painting between paint sessions and share them with you…when not being distracted.

More distractions. This is for the birds. (Photo: Kort Kramer 2011)

~ Lisa