About Lisa Draper

Artist Statement

I seek to capture the essence of interactions so compelling they move us to action - or stillness.

Interaction between forces in nature; between people; between our mind and our heart; between words on a page and how they create a story.

I have come to know that greatness and evil are not built in a vacuum.  Stillness doesn’t come naturally in an over-stimulated world. Revolutions begin with a thought - a spark - just as a the largest fires.  Love/hatred, marriage/divorce, war/peace, sunrise/sunset, birth/death. Interactions bring the beginning and ending of all in our life, and this world.

“Nature in Fluid and Flame” traverses human and animal relation to powerful forces of nature.  Life-giving and life-taking elements full of power and beauty and danger - and our response to such. 

In this series, I begin with an emotion, and then search for what in nature evokes that emotion for me, which dictates my selection of colors.  Movement manifests as the emotion I feel flows through my body and into my arms. Pieces made when I was in turmoil are generally more dynamic and even scattered than those made created when my mind is still. 

“Art and Literacy” celebrates the interaction of ink, paper, and human thought.  An interaction with the power to transfer ideas and imagery from one human mind to another across times and cultures, sometimes reaching back thousands of years.  Words with enough draw to build and crumble empires, inspire movements, and reorient lives on completely different paths. How incredible for something as simple as ink on tree pulp!

This incredible interaction is celebrated by choosing imagery that pulls the viewer to pivotal moments - both in the work and their lives.  Often moments of shock, action, or compelling symbolism. I carefully select pages that convey the most important meanings in the book - myself reveling in the power of literature as I revisit passages that impacted me the most.  Then pages are carefully assembled into the chosen imagery, and presented as a beautiful testimony that brings recognition and awe in the eye of the beholder as they read the very book they recognized from the artwork they admire, and revisit the power and influence of this interaction once more.

During creation, I savor the moment I switch on my torch and am momentarily exposed to the smell of propane before the glow of flame leaps into action.  An interaction of gas, a spark, and oxygen that creates combustion. The heat allows me to smooth my newly created piece - leaving it glass-like and reflective.  Inviting the viewer themselves to become a part of the art as they view it. Yet another interaction that changes in real time to tell an ever-evolving story of beauty, power, inspiration, learning, and heartbreak.  An ever moving piece of history, the present, and the future as the world revolves around the sun and we continue forward through this thing called life.

Lisa Draper Biography (Excerpt)

Lisa was born in the green city of Belleview, Washington.  She spent the most memorable years of her childhood there, and loved the feeling that the Earth was alive.  The oldest granddaughter of professional artist Carol Gerlach, she began painting in her grandmother’s studio at the age of 2. 

Since that time, Lisa has trained with artists and art professionals across the nation.  She has created a mixed media process she is proud to call her own, and continues to push the limits on material, the laws of physics, and her mind.  Her award-winning art hangs in private and corporate collections internationally, and is best known for its unusual 3D effects and shimmering, reflective beauty.

After a degree in psychology, experience as a parent and foster parent, working in a mental hospital and juvenile detention center, and much more, she believes all people are built by both beautiful and painful life experiences that can be crafted to serve, or to destroy.   Interactions in life that persuade powerful change are where she finds her greatest artistic inspiration.

When Lisa Draper is not in her studio, she can be found piloting a small plane over rural Utah, running, reading, trying new flavors of Cheesecake, watching action films, or chatting with just about anyone.

The above is an excerpt. Click here for a full biography.

Curriculum Vitae

Click here to access Lisa Draper’s resume, last edited January 2020. For a copy, simply ask Lisa at lisa@draperfineart.com

Collectors

Lisa Draper’s works hang in private and corporate collections internationally.

Lisa values the privacy of her clients, and never shares names or contact information without explicit permission.

Resources for Artists

A list of resources for artists I’ve found helpful in building my career.

To follow works in progress and the craziness of #professionalartistlife, follow @draperfineart on Instagram