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Lisa Lapointe · Behind The Sun

Written
by
Lucy Feagins
Writer
Lucy Feagins
19th of August 2014
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Owl, 2014, pencil on paper, 1050mm x 770mm by Melbourne artist Lisa Lapointe.
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Cajoling The Moon , 2014, pencil on paper, 1140mm x 1050mm by Lisa Lapointe.
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Panther, 2014, pencil on paper, 1100mm x 900mm by Lisa Lapointe.
Last Thursday we chatted to clever local retailers Joel and Amy Malin of Modern Times, and whilst admiring Eve's pics of their gorgeous Fitzroy store, you might have spotted a couple of particularly beautiful framed artworks behind their heads!  Those incredible pieces were the work of Melbourne artist Lisa Lapointe, who's exhibition, Behind the Sun, opened at Modern Times just last week! Don't be fooled by the vivid fields of seemingly solid colour in Lisa's work.  This is no computer generated imagery.  All Lisa's large scale artworks are, in fact, rendered almost entirely in coloured pencil.  WOAH. Lisa has a fine arts degree from CoFA, UNSW, where she majored in painting. However, she has spent the past 13 years working in fashion and interiors,  always keeping her art practice going on the side. 'I always made loads of things, textiles, jewellery, sculpture and obviously drawings' Lisa says. 'It wasn't until 2009 when I had an exhibition of all pencil drawings, that a dear friend walked in and said, 'you've found your thing'. I haven't looked back'. Lisa is inspired by spiritual, religious and indigenous mythology, and has a particular interest in shamanic practice. 'I listened to a lot of Terence McKenna while drawing this body of work' Lisa says. 'His philosophies inspired new perspectives on how to make sense of religious material that I was taught in my childhood. I have enjoyed the journey, dreaming beyond the confines of everyday western thinking. It's been healing and empowering, and I want my drawings to gift this on to the viewer' Being committed to the humble coloured pencil, it's no surprise Lisa has a favourite brand!  'I use only prismacolor pencils as they are vibrant and intense' she says. 'It's amazing when you become so intimate a medium, how well you come to know it. Each pencil colour behaves differently, some are thick and soft and need to be sharpened all the time. Other colours are hard and dense, some brittle and powdery'.  She loves the rawness and immediacy of this technique, which leaves no room for making changes or covering up mistakes. 'You learn to embrace imperfections' she says. Lisa is  looking forward to starting an artist in residency soon with Brand X in Sydney. She will be moving into a new studio in one of their spaces in St Leonards, Sydney. 'I mostly look forward to seeing where my drawing takes me and what images are to come' she says, thoughtfully. She has a Sydney show planned for March next year, but if you're in Melbourne, head down to Modern Times before the end of the this month to catch her beautiful works in person! Behind the Sun by Lisa Lapointe Open now until 31 August Modern Times 311 Smith Street Fitzroy, VIC Eye Of The Rose_LisaLapointe_600
Through The Eye Of The Rose, 2014, pencil on paper, 760mm x 570mm by Lisa Lapointe.
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Hara, 2014, pencil on paper, 760mm x 570mm by Lisa Lapointe.

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