Featured Artist Lisa Cunningham

Artist Lisa Cunningham captures the beauty of the architecture in pastel, using  strong contrast, attention to detail, and a bold color palette. View more of her work by visiting her website.

 

 

I believe the desire to create art has always been with me. From a very young age, I remember escaping to the quiet solitude of my drawing. It was second nature to me, like tying my shoes and riding my bike.

 

 

After convincing my family that I was destined to study art in college, I went on to earn degrees in fine art and education. During my college experience, I was introduced to a whole host of mediums with which to create my art.

 

 

From oil to acrylic, fiber art to photography, there was everything that a well-rounded fine art program had to offer. However, there was one medium that I was not familiar with and discovered years later. Soft pastels.

 

 

I remember seeing a small box of pastels for the first time and thinking how vibrant the colors were. Not only were the colors spectacular, but also it was a dry medium that allowed me to manipulate color on the surface in a way that felt much like drawing, which was my first true love in the realm of art.

 

 

As a contemporary realist, I find inspiration in almost any place I find myself. No need to wait for something to bubble to the surface, because color and light exist almost everywhere, and there is so much to see during my travels, or right here at home.

 

 

Architecture in the landscape, which has been the focus of my current work, has so much to say about the people and cultures that create it. We live, work, worship, eat—you name it—in the structure of our choice, and each has its own story to tell.

 

 

I like to cozy up close in the composition of many of the structures I create, adding some mystery and allowing the viewer room to explore a bit and perhaps wonder about its history, story, or legacy.

 

 

Capturing light and shadow at precisely the right moment adds interest and character to the overall composition.

 

 

Pastels are so wonderfully tactile and allow me to draw fine details or lay in large blocks of color. Textured patterns or smooth transitions, there really are no limits to what this medium will allow me to create.

 

 

My work has been juried into many regional and national exhibitions, won awards and has been collected by art enthusiasts in several states. I am honored to be a signature member of the Pastel Society of America, as well as the Connecticut Pastel Society, The Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod and the Pastel Society of New Jersey. Other affiliations include membership in the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, The Salmagundi Club, Audubon Artists and the American Artists Professional League.

 

Artist Lisa Cunningham invites you to follow her on Facebook, Instagram and view her Artwork Archive.

 

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