Fantasy artist Lisa Cyr
"The more we approach our work with insight, vigor and passion—continually cultivating creative play, exploration and experimentation—the more we are able to see and reach our full potential and inner greatness as creative beings.”
What kind of kid were you? Where did you grow up?
Early on, I didn’t have a lot of kids in my neighborhood that were my own age, so I learned to amuse my- self through creative play. As I grew older, we moved and I was able to in- teract with others my own age.
At the time, there was no video games, social media or an abundance of TV shows to distract my focus and attention. I grew up in New England where there is a beautiful change in the seasons. When my friends and I came home from school, we played outside, made tree and snow forts as well as other such enclosures, usin our imagination and ingenuity. We were always actively using our minds, bodies and hands to create something.
Your style is very unique. Did you work on developing a style or is that what naturally came out of you?
The development of an artistic style is very much like the development of one’s personality. It takes time, courage and experimentation to fully realize who you are as a person and as a creative being. My evolution has been about the exploration of alternative forms of picture making and personal storytelling working in tandem with the experimental aspect of process. This is a jour- ney I am still on and will probably remain, as it feeds my interests for knowledge and exploration of all things fantastical. I would also like to share an excerpt from my book Experimental Painting that speaks to Work as Play and the development of ar- tistic authenticity. “As artists, our legacy lies in the ability to approach aesthetic endeavors with an authentic voice and vision, maintaining an intimate connection with the divine spirit that resides within. The expression of our gifts and talents is our unique contribution to world. To make an everlasting impact, an extraordinary mindset that is genuine at heart is needed to persevere, triumph and succeed. The more we approach our work with insight, vigor and passion—continually cultivating creative play and experimentation—the more we are able to see and reach our full potential and inner greatness as creative beings.”
What markets does your work appear in? How did that come about? What is your fa- vorite venue to work in?
The majority of my work has been developed around publishing, both editorial and book. In more recent years, my focus has been on build- ing unique intellectual properties. The work that has developed is packaged in different ways, distributed to the masses through books,videos, webinar broadcasts, interactive media online, merchandising and the like. My original work has also sold to collectors through museum and gallery shows that I have participated in. Teaching and lecturing is another aspect of what I do, as it inspires and informs my work in unique ways. As an instructor, I work with undergraduate students at the New Hampshire Institute of Art and MFA illustration and design students at The Hartford Art School and Mary- wood University.
mixed media painting
I also teach weekend workshops at the Art Students League of New York in NYC as well as other venues like the Norman Rockwell Museum. My hands-on workshops explore creative, mixed-media approaches, us- ing an interesting array of unconventional techniques in inventive combinations. In addition, I lecture across the country. My most recent endeavor entitled Figure of the Imagination includes a traveling lecture that focuses on the development as well as the symbolic and metaphorical vision behind my fantasy-based, figurative works of art and
I use a digital camera to transform my layered, mixed-media work into publishable images for print as well as broadcast and interactive projects. The computer is a tool that I used to distribute, promote and reformat my work. My creative storytelling in journals and sketchbooks.
The Illustrators Journal 