My current work started as a watercolor journal of my environment. With my journal I capture the mood in the corner of a room or the mystery of antique toys. It was meant to be private but has grown too large to keep to myself.

My childhood was spent with a family appreciative of the beauties in life. We would stop what we were doing to watch the rising moon and look through art books of the Renaissance as if they were children’s books. Drawing beautiful things brings a joy and calmness to counter the outside distresses of wars and environmental issues that I can’t control.

Each piece is mixed media of ink and watercolor. First I draw a pencil sketch then go over that with India ink and finish with layers of watercolor as if I were creating an oil painting. By using a painterly rather than a photorealistic style I still include every nuance in my view to portray the atmosphere I’m seeing.

Focusing on detail is a way for me to catch the intimacy of the scene. When I study the details of something it is a way of getting to know it thoroughly, and the act becomes a meditation. The rooms devoid of people can feel serene, a retreat from the hectic world, and at the same time express a deep sense of inner aloneness. The toys that come into some of the pictures are an amusement to me but also can portray the sinisterness of a painted-on smile covering up a souless being, or a being unable to express itself.

© 2005 Lisa Bruce. All Rights Reserved. Art may not be reproduced in any manner without permission from the artist.

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