Spotlight with Lisa Izquierdo
Lisa Izquierdo was born in Manchester, England in 1975. She was raised by openly creative parents, her Spanish father and English mother, who always encouraged her to express herself and flourish in the arts. The hard working values she learnt from her parents, particularly her father who came to the UK from Valencia with very little to his name, has allowed her to manage a good balance between working to survive and the tranquility she finds in painting. She has an instantly intoxicating aura, a familiar likability and a surging Spanish passion, which certainly travels through her expressionist paintings. Think Mediterranean magnificence and sensuality, co-mingled with super-subtle timeless elegance. Her creative strengths emerged at an early age, inspired by natural forces, the human form and, above all by the powerful energy generated by human relationships.
She has responded to her intense desire to create through painting and drawing since childhood. Her widely recognised and burgeoning talent has led to success in a range of European galleries in Madrid, Monaco, Luxembourg and Salzburg. This culminated in a highly successful residency in the NYA gallery in New York. She currently practices her art in her studio located in Altrincham, Manchester, in the United Kingdom.
While Lisa was growing up and discovering art, masters like Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Vincent Van Gogh, resonated with her the most. She was drawn to these formidable artist’s use of bold colour and dramatic brushwork, which she later adapted into her own style of painting. Their mixture of landscapes, still life and portraits inspired her to branch out and try a couple of new collections using the same texture and in some cases, softer colour palettes which Monet often favoured.
Her earlier modelling career, although not a particularly happy time in her life, led her to discovered rather quickly that the entire industry revolved around image and the demand for perfection, which at a young age leads to negative connotations about body image and in turn, the toxic ways in which young women try to achieve these demanding and unrealistic goals. It did have a positive impact on Lisa, giving her the ability to travel the world and glean inspiration from the energy of places like Rome, which held a particular place in her heart as an artist, every corner filled with beautiful statues, stunning fountains and inspirational architecture, a majesty which ignited a wealth of creativity that she would later develop in her artwork.
Her vision is driven by the different energies of people in her life representing a natural power and energy, which can be seen in the themes she chooses to paint, such as the sweeps and curves of the female body and the natural magnitude of the moon and sea. Her figurative compositions rarely feature the human face - focusing mainly on the body, reminiscent of ancient Roman and Greek sculptures without a head. It comes back to her early experiences and the negative elements of being a model, which is why she focuses on “inner energies” rather than an individual’s face.
The energy of her work is transmitted to canvas with texture and movement, which she achieves by working in layers using spectra gel, Liquitex and sand to create textured bumps and notches on the canvas. The intense colour of oil paint is the last layer added which creates more texture in the work enhancing these images and feelings. Working with oils and the time it takes for each layer to dry, means Lisa spends many, many months with each unfinished piece while it takes form.
“Like every artist I paint from my heart and soul, and like life, sometimes it’s great and happy sometimes it’s sad and dark. I try to keep a semblance of light even in the dark times, a speck of positivity which gets you through. I try to show this within my work and hopefully this comes across.”
Other significant events in her life which have contributed to the development of her art include loss and grief an inevitable force in life and an experience of emotion nobody can avoid. She uses the juxtaposition of loss, not only in the sense of death, but loss of life dreams and childlike innocence, with the positivity of love. Feeling the importance to maintain joy despite the bitterness and keep the childlike wonder and imagination apparent in her work.
“I think finding my true love later in life also transformed my creativity.”
The way in which artist are now emerging through more self-taught expression is helping a great many people to appreciate art and quell the elitism which is often associated with the art world. Helping it to break away from an intimidating and societal class based subject.
“I think times are changing for the better.” Lisa champions women in the arts and believes in the shift of more success and recognition for the array of talented contemporary female artists within the art world. She’s continually inspired by the great women artists who have come before her, like Bridget Riley, Tracey Emin and Barbara Hepworth, who created unique and groundbreaking works of art, which parallel anything that has been produced by their male artist counterparts.
“The Rising” exhibition which opens at Ice Gallery, Wilmslow on October 1st 2021 includes works which have been created with these emotions, as well as dynamic and vulnerable experiences. The figures within her work are often based on people in her life, that have had a significant effect on her, their bravery and strength. Strength of mind and character, which has resonated with her throughout her life.
“I see my artist journey as an exciting adventure not yet written, I can see my work transforming with life experience and learning over the years and I’m looking forward to seeing how the next 10 years transmits to this via my work. I want to keep creating, keep learning and hopefully keep painting beautiful pieces that people love to look at and are moved by.”
