Congratulations to artist Lisa Pfitzner, our latest Instagram winner! Lisa creates functional mixed media art and is based in Manhattan, NY. She also has an art studio located in the village of Saugerties, NY in the Hudson Valley: "I truly needed a better work/life balance and built my studio to be able to create for me, no deadlines, no pressure - just the pleasure of creating."
Describe the type of art you create.
I am not an artist who sticks to just one thing. I have done many explorations in the past: Asian paper making, Suminagashi and Turkish marbling, printmaking, macro photography, assemblage, encaustics...
Since building my own studio in 2020, I have been focused on learning to create with fluid acrylics and all the various techniques that can be achieved. What began as canvas paintings with a top coat of ArtResin has now morphed into an entire line of functional art that occupies the space between fine art and the everyday aesthetic objects that serve a utilitarian purpose, such as charcuterie boards, wooden cake stands, lazy susans, coaster sets etc. Each piece is one of a kind and has been hand created using the mediums of fluid acrylics, ArtResin, mica powders and alcohol inks.
What do you love about the mediums that you use?
As an artist, I like to be just as delighted, as someone who buys a piece of my work — which led me to the mediums of fluid acrylics and epoxy resin. Both mediums allow me the spontaneity and unpredictability I find appealing and counter balances with my professional advertising career.
And they are messy mediums, very tactile, which I enjoy. (I blow the fluid acrylics with my breath and spread ArtResin with gloved hands.) At times there is as much paint on me, as what I am creating, hence the studio name of "Dirty Girl Studio".
When did you discover resin?
I discovered ArtResin from watching other fluid artists on YouTube in order to learn techniques. And am VERY loyal to the brand. It is the only resin I will use because of its safety profile: being food safe for my functional art line is critical and not having to wear a respirator while working is key for me. I even have framed cards at my exhibits/point of sale locations listing out all the food safety tests ArtResin has passed and a "Safe for you/Safe for Me" info card.
How has resin impacted your artwork?
As mentioned above, what began as a simple top coat for canvases transformed into a whole line of functional art pieces. And I became much more interested in resin once I discovered how to tint it with color using resin pastes, micas or alcohol inks and began a whole new journey in "resin painting".
Can you provide a brief rundown of your process?
Fluid acrylic painting is all about movement and unlike traditional painting, there are no brushes involved (however there is more science and math). Paint is mixed with a pouring medium to achieve a particular consistency, colors are layered and poured onto a canvas — which is then tilted, rotated, and manipulated with breath. No two outcomes are ever identical due to the density of pigments used, the consistency in which they are mixed, the order in which the colors are layered, and the speed in which the pour is released.
What’s your art background? Are you self taught or did you study art?
I went to Pratt to study art and have a BFA. After graduating I started a career in Advertising. After 30+ years of conceptualizing on demand and against deadlines, I truly needed a better work/life balance and built my studio to be able to create for me, no deadlines, no pressure - just the pleasure of creating.
While I am a freelance Creative Director, I still have to create around my bookings. And when on a gig, my days can be very long hours and it can be difficult – however in between my bookings, it is all studio time.
Does where you’re from or where you currently live influence your work?
Yes, when it comes to embedding in resin and working with molds. I dry/press flowers from my gardens and collect Autumn leaves and other elements of nature and use them the following season to create specific pieces.
Why do you want to make art? What motivates you to create?
I have had a creative soul since I was a small child. I remember being asked in Kindergarten what my favorite color is (green, still is). I have been making art ever since. I lived in the art room in high school and left at 17 to study further at college. It is how I express myself. It's a major part of who I am. I get motivated from the excitement of the creation or idea and the pleasure it will bring not only to me, but also to who it is intended for.
Does art help you in other areas of your life?
Sure. Creating art = endorphins. A natural pain reliever and mood booster.
What do you hope someone sees or feels when they look at your art?
Aesthetic beauty. Pleasure.
How do you define success as an artist? What does success look and feel like for you?
Very differently than I do in my professional advertising career, which is all about money, titles, awards, and industry accolades. As an artist, success is strictly about pleasing myself. If I am smiling at an unexpected outcome, life is good.
Where do you sell your work?
My paintings have been shown in a number of gallery exhibitions and my functional art is sold at a high-end retail store locally. I do a few holiday markets in Nov/Dec and currently am part of the Saugerties Open Studio Tour, which will take place August 12 and 13 - 10-6pm. The public is invited to come directly to my studio, see my work and say hello.
To see more of Lisa's work:
Follow her on Instagram: @dirtygirlstudio
Congratulations on your win, Lisa!
Every month, to celebrate our community of artists, ArtResin will send out a 32 oz kit to two lucky people who have tagged us on Instagram, showing the work they've created with ArtResin.
Don't forget to tag YOUR ArtResin work with @art_resin on Instagram, and YOU could be our next winner!
ArtResin: Made For Artists, By Artists.
