|
|
|
Lisa Britton received her BFA in painting from Arizona State University. After graduation, she spent several months in Berlin, Germany, where she interned for photographer Isabelle Graeff and painter Ross Walker, in addition to co-curating a pop up exhibition. She has shown work in the United States and Germany. Her work explores themes such as animal rights, disclosure and identity in social media, as well as notions of beauty and decay. Britton, along with friend and artist Alejandra Orozco, are creators of the blog, Pretty Girls Making Cool Shit. She currently lives and works in Seattle, Washington.
Published on May 12th 2020. Artist responses collected in months previous.
What projects are you working on right now?
I am in the early phases of a series involving rabbits in historical settings. I am still working on sketches and deciding on compositions for them. For various reasons, I switched from oils to acrylics several years ago. I am in the process of switching back to oil paint for the first time in years, which is an experience in itself. I am doing some small paintings of rabbits while I familiarize myself with oil again.
How do you keep yourself accountable in your practice?
I will be honest, some days I am better at this than others! I usually have success with a goal, be it an art project/personal/work related, when I can break it down into micro-goals. "Start new painting" can be a vague and daunting task on a to do list, but jot down ideas, make a sketch, that's something I can do. Then I can move on to develop painting ideas further. I also have to be realistic with myself. With a full time job and other responsibilities, I know I cannot be in the studio all day, everyday as much as I might like to. If I can work on something for 30-60 minutes most days it is still making progress and working towards a goal.
How do you stay motivated to pursue your creative work?
I tend to feel frustrated and upset with myself when I don’t do anything, be it not working on a painting, submitting for exhibitions and other opportunities, or the blog I run with a friend (Pretty Girls Making Cool Shit). Naturally I want to avoid being upset with myself for being unproductive. I appreciate the Chuck Close quote “Inspiration is for amateurs-the rest of us just show up and get to work.” If we sit around and wait for inspiration and motivation it might never happen. Life is short, if you want to paint, you need to find time to paint.
Where do you hope to be 10 years from now and what would you like to say to yourself?
This was a really challenging question for me. Is it terrible that I have not given much thought to ten years from now? So much to consider! I would love to congratulate future Lisa for leaving her day job to pursue art or something art related full time. Maybe I will also have the pet pigs I have wanted since childhood.
What projects are you working on right now?
I am in the early phases of a series involving rabbits in historical settings. I am still working on sketches and deciding on compositions for them. For various reasons, I switched from oils to acrylics several years ago. I am in the process of switching back to oil paint for the first time in years, which is an experience in itself. I am doing some small paintings of rabbits while I familiarize myself with oil again.
How do you keep yourself accountable in your practice?
I will be honest, some days I am better at this than others! I usually have success with a goal, be it an art project/personal/work related, when I can break it down into micro-goals. "Start new painting" can be a vague and daunting task on a to do list, but jot down ideas, make a sketch, that's something I can do. Then I can move on to develop painting ideas further. I also have to be realistic with myself. With a full time job and other responsibilities, I know I cannot be in the studio all day, everyday as much as I might like to. If I can work on something for 30-60 minutes most days it is still making progress and working towards a goal.
How do you stay motivated to pursue your creative work?
I tend to feel frustrated and upset with myself when I don’t do anything, be it not working on a painting, submitting for exhibitions and other opportunities, or the blog I run with a friend (Pretty Girls Making Cool Shit). Naturally I want to avoid being upset with myself for being unproductive. I appreciate the Chuck Close quote “Inspiration is for amateurs-the rest of us just show up and get to work.” If we sit around and wait for inspiration and motivation it might never happen. Life is short, if you want to paint, you need to find time to paint.
Where do you hope to be 10 years from now and what would you like to say to yourself?
This was a really challenging question for me. Is it terrible that I have not given much thought to ten years from now? So much to consider! I would love to congratulate future Lisa for leaving her day job to pursue art or something art related full time. Maybe I will also have the pet pigs I have wanted since childhood.
Find Lisa Britton on Instagram
|
|