Artist of the Week-Lisa diStefano

There are landscapes....and then there are landscapes done Lisa diStefano's way. The Baton Rouge, LA, native "employs subtle details, respectful suggestions, and rousing textures" to create mixed media landscapes that are simply divine. I first fell in love with diStefano's work about three years ago when I saw a few pieces at Grand Contemporary in Lafayette, LA. I've wanted a painting by Lisa ever since. And after seeing the most recent offerings from Grand Contemporary in the current show with Lisa diStefano's work (on display until end of December), I really, really want a painting by diStefano...particularly the framed mixed media on paper with the blue background (shown in top picture on left)!!

When I met Lisa at the opening of the current show on November 6th, she explained that this particular series of paintings was inspired by a trip to Grande Isle, LA. As the car was moving down the road, Lisa took photographs out the window. When Lisa had the pictures developed she essentially had "abstract moving landscapes." What resulted from this experiment is a group of paintings that you know are landscapes, you can recognize the horizon, you can almost touch the marsh grasses, yet they are abstract and the mind can have fun with them and imagine being there (well, really anywhere you'd like to be, which is what makes them interesting).

In addition to the mixed media on canvas and board pieces that are typical of Lisa's work, she has done some really interesting works on paper. I recently used a piece in my room at the Lafayette Symphony Showhouse that is crayon on paper (see below photo of the piece I used). This piece is available for $800 framed and can be seen at European Classics in Lafayette, LA. Hurry and buy it so I don't!

Currently, diStefano shows at Grand Contemporary Gallery (www.grandcontemporary.com) in Lafayette, LA, and Ann Connelly Gallery in Baton Rouge, LA. The Ritz-Carlton, Miami, and The Bellagio in Las Vegas have both recently purchased pieces for their collections. Traditional Home and Veranda magazines have both published and reviewed diStefano's work.