Breaking the Spine: Lisa Congdon

Lisa Congdon

Bio:

San Francisco illustrator and fine artist Lisa Congdon was raised in both upstate New York and Northern California where she grew to love the trees and animals that surrounded her. That love is now expressed most intensely through her paintings and drawings. Lisa did not begin painting until she was 33 years old; nine years later, it is now the most significant part of her life and livelihood. Aside from four painting classes, Lisa is entirely self-taught. She uses her lack of training to her advantage; instead of following refined technique, she works with her own sense of color and composition as her guide. Lisa’s paintings and drawings make hazy the line between what is real and what is imagined. She looks to the natural world as a reflection not only of joy, beauty, order and calm, but also the darkness and pain that is part of our collective everyday experience.

Statement:

I have been working with books in my mixed media work for several years. I am drawn to vintage typography in particular, and the yellowed hues of worn pages. I interested in playing visually with the contrast between organic vintage and man-made graphic elements. My work for Breaking the Spine is an expression of this interest.