Blossom

Lisa Noonis

*Together We Go* (2023), Mixed media on canvas, 30” x 30”

April 27 - June 17, 2023

About the Show

Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems. - Rainer Maria Rilke

This exhibition combines mixed media artist Lisa Noonis's recent female figures and still lifes. The title, Blossom, works triple-time as a literal reference to the lush proliferation of blooms in Noonis's floral still lifes, an analogous reference to the flower-like forms of her ballet dancers' tutus, and a metaphorical reference to girls and women coming into their power. The majority of Noonis's ballerinas are depicted in repose, but the artist's often bold palettes and color combinations in conjunction with her energetic mark-making seem to externalize the dancers' contained vigor and potential to spring into their full glory, when the moment is right. Just as buds burst into bloom each spring. In Woman Kind, a sensually beautiful, bikini-clad woman with a decidedly non-balletic pot lounges in quiet confidence. Achieving body positivity and being comfortable in one's own skin is another way that women "blossom" into their true power, and the scale of the piece (48” x 77”) certainly underscores its content. Each canvas in this gorgeous exhibition, be it figurative or still life, pulsates with life in a fitting ode both to spring and to feminine energy.

I start painting with the open mindedness of an explorer. I don’t fully know where any given piece will land but am certain that if I show up to work every day, it will eventually arrive at its destination.

I paint figures, still life, and landscapes—and aim to tilt these subjects into abstracted places. I combine my love of color, form, line, and design without fully abandoning representation.

I begin with quick, gestural sketches made from models or still life using acrylic paint applied with big brushes. I make a lot of sketches and refer to them when I start a large canvas. Eventually, I abandon the sketch and lean into my memory. Then my imagination and instincts lead the way. My goal is to sustain the feeling of exploration. Ultimately the act of creating art may be more important to me than the final outcome.

My materials range from acrylic and latex, to graphite and collage—media whose nature allows me the freedom to work expressively and without hesitation. I work on large sheets of canvas or paper directly on the walls, sometimes using tools that force me to be loose, like extension poles, squeegees and oversized paintbrushes. Painting and drawing with my non- dominant hand also helps me to let go of control and invites the unexpected. - Lisa Noonis