Welcome to the Art of Lissa Herschleb

With little preconception I summon the feeling to accompany an image to paint. Early on my motivation and inspiration came from the National Geographic Magazine that captivated me as a child in the late 50’s. Beyond my small world, pages held photographs of insects the color of eggs at Easter, men painted in ceremonial delight, even plants that seemed to be from other planets. It was not, though, just the imagery of the peoples but their resonance with Mother Earth that struck me.

  Now that time has passed, my life experience has broadened to the point of loosing loved ones, parents in particular. Living with and witnessing the passing of my elderly father, stirred my soul and caused me to beat a different path in self expression. 

   While living with Dad, I was exploring a new substrate, Claybord. It yielded an effect with watercolor that allowed me to add and subtract from the surface. My exploration stayed, for the most part, confined to a convenient  6” x 6” x 2” square block of Claybord.

  When my father passed, I had such an awakening. His communication about the experience of what he saw as he was in the process of passing enlightened me to perceive a more full spectrum of life. My response to painting moved to another path. Realism started to express itself to define my father’s presence in my pieces. For months afterward I was moved to try to bring to the eye my feeling for the mystery of life. I had new breadth in creativity.

  Through this trained eye and hand I continue to search for the illusive expression, that mysterious urge that makes one an artist.  No matter how I dredge through words to try to communicate my quest to you, ultimately, only my art can speak clearly enough.