Even at the age of 3, Anna Lisa could be found spending endless hours drawing in the shade of the backyard tangerine trees where her family lived on the Texas/Mexico border. It was then that her combined love of art and nature began. Since 2013 Anna Lisa has chosen to work almost exclusively in soft pastels and in that medium, has voraciously produced her largest body of work. The brilliance of the pastel pigments allows her represent the powerful impact the colors of nature and her inhabitants have on her soul.
Anna Lisa’s artwork embodies the resplendent patterns of nature and particularly botanicals. She is driven to create paintings which reflect nature’s captivating beauty and it is her artistic mission is to transport nature’s beautiful design to indoor living spaces. As a lifetime Texan, the various floral and animal inhabitants of the Southwest such as Big Bend, New Mexico and Arizona are frequent subjects of her work. She is a a Signature member of the Pastel Society of New Mexico and is a juried member of the Pastel Society of America and Women Artists of the West. She is also a member of American Women Artists, Cowgirl Artists of America, Austin Pastel Society, and Central Texas Pastel Society.
Statement
My artistic mission is simple – convey the beauty of the the beasts and exotic beauties of the botanical world and bring those worlds into our indoor living spaces. Plants that don’t require sun or water or care – they are just there to be enjoyed.
Most often, I lean to the xeric desert domain and portray the unseen beauty in the frequently maligned group of the spiky and spiny specimens – cactus, agave, succulents and their flowers. Conversely, I enjoy exploring exotic flowers like birds of paradise, heliconia and the like. I am drawn to the pattern and form of the structural arrangements in our oxygen producing friends. I am captivated by the universal form of spirals like the Fibonacci spiral seen in the placement of the Agave parryi leaves when viewed from above. When I looked closely, I found an unexpected color shift in the thorns of some species of agave. The thorns morph through red, blue, purple and grey over time. I admit I am truly infatuated with the imprint of the now unfurled agave leaf left behind on the former adjacent leaf– like a footprint in the sand. My most current interest is with the aging of agave leaves that can present a texture which mimics the grain of wood as they dry and desiccate. I work on board to which I apply texture medium so that I control the character of the surface. I sometimes explore changing textures from rough to delicate within one painting. It is important that I paint what I don’t see vs what I see and to emphasize my point of interest with color, placement or texture vs detail. A frequent power element in my compositions is typically the intersection of light and shadow or contrast. The line between dark and light – the point where opposites meet, is typically a moment of intense beauty and allure. That shift or twilight is in the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald, like a “transitory enchanted moment”. I know my painting has succeeded when I can step back and have my intended focus for the painting be clear, be it light, color or pattern. Sometimes, it’s just about stopping and leaving the painting imperfect – as we all are – showing the contrast in the beauty of the perfection of nature and the imperfection of our human observations. I hope to encourage the viewer to cherish the innate beauty and pattern in the minute details of nature and explore the intricate beauty of things we may take for granted. To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour – William Blake –
