Artist

Lisa Marie Thorpe
Artist

Synchronicity
A process of letting go

Carl Jung defines synchronicity as “meaningful coincidences”. I chose this title because it suggests the process that I go through to come to a final piece. The process starts long before I ever enter the print studio, it started years ago in fact. Even as a little girl I cut pictures out of magazines, saved greeting cards and “precious” objects found on a beach or at a yard sale. Through my adult life I have continued this obsession. When I pick up things at a rummage sale or find photos and letters in a box in my parents’ attic, I don’t usually know what I’ll do with them. It’s not until later when I’m preparing to go to the print studio do things call out to be together. I’ll spread out all my treasures, of lace, feathers, stamps, old books and photographs and see what pops out. Things call to be together and a story begin to emerge. As the artist I combine the objects to suggest a story line, make an outline but it is the viewer who makes the process complete. You come to the piece and complete the story, flesh out the meaning. There is a part of the collective unconscious at play here that makes these pieces sing. They are more than beautiful works of art. They are a secret whispered, a snippet of song long forgotten, an old joke that still makes you laugh, a line from a poem deeply loved.

How the pieces are made;
The first step is collecting the objects that are calling out to be together. Next comes the monotype process. A monotype is made by placing ink on a plexiglass plate the removing that ink in some places and adding ink in other places to get a desired effect. At this point I lay my objects (feathers, cards, book passages) face down onto the plexiglass plate with paste on the back (the part facing up at this point). I lay the plate onto the table of the printing press, and then lay my sheet of cotton rag paper on top. Then the whole thing is rolled through the wheel of the printing press. The paper is then peeled back to reveal the print. No other print can be made thus the Mono in monotype. It is an exciting process because surprises and happy accidents happen in this unique process. To make these pieces complete I mount them on a sheet of wood with copper sides and put a thin skin of encaustic medium over the top. Encaustic is dammar resin (a tree sap) and beeswax. They are melted and mixed together then spread with a brush and smoothed with a heat gun to make the skin of the piece. The encaustic process adds fleshiness to the piece that breaths life into the surface and creates another element of unpredictability as it soaks into the paper. To get to a finished piece is a long process in which the medium imposes itself on the story being told to wonderful effect.

Secret Dreams of Fruits and Vegetables
About the Secret Dreams Series:
These are playful pieces that get the intimate, inside story from the produce aisle. To create these portraits I had to gain the trust of each piece of produce that I interviewed. To begin I got them to be comfortable and trust me so they would reveal their inner most thoughts. Then I got each one to model for me in a lush and intimate environment with boudoir lighting that highlighted their best features. The result is a revelation of such personal truths that the fruits and vegetables may be embarrassed at their own candor.

How the pieces are done:
In this series I have combined painting and collage. The subjects are painted then surrounded by found bits and pieces that symbolize aspects of their inner journey, hopes and dreams. Text was added (sometimes direct quotes) to reveal more about my produce friends. The pieces where then varnished with several coats to marine varnish that give them a yellowy, antiqued look.

The prints for sale are done by directly scanning the images for high-resolution prints. They are printed with pigment dye inks on high quality glossy paper for maximum longevity.

Plein Aire Series
About the Plein Aire Series:
Plein Aire is just the French way of saying painting outside. I began to explore the wonders of Plein Aire painting after an artist retreat in France, where we were driven to beautiful spots in the country side and left there to paint for 6 hours. It was wonderful. When I returned I began exploring The Bishop's Ranch from behind the easel. I find the practice a meditative one that calls me to observe the day, the changing of light, and the passing of clouds. It also has sharpened my observation of the seasons. As the earth takes its turn around the sun each year there is a wonderful rhythm of color and pattern that repeat with subtle variations to keep my eye sharp and my mind flexible.

How the pieces are done:
To create these pieces I generally go for a walk around the grounds or on the back property. I'm looking for patterns of color, shadow and light that grab my attention. Once I've zeroed in on my subject I take a photo. Back home I crop and compose the image until I get the balance I'm looking for. Then I line out my composition onto a pink gessoed canvas (the pink gives a nice under glow) with red paint. The next day I tromp out to the site to paint for as long as it takes to express the sensation of the day. It's a wonderful process that I never get tired of.

Prints of the paintings are done by taking a digital photo of the piece and printed with pigment dye inks on high quality heavy matt paper for maximum longevity. Look in the print catalog to see all the paintings done over the years. It's fun the see the flow of the seasons in the work and the evolution of style over time.