Lisa Penz Art. Fred Fraser Photography.

Artist Lisa Penz, known for her contemporary female portrayals, will premiere her exciting exhibition ‘Beautiful Undead’ this Friday, May 11^th at FIVESIXY.

Lisa will use this forum to confront the explosive trends of vampires in mainstream Pop Culture. ‘Beautiful Undead’ is an extension of Lisa’s brave, intoxicating works. This new series is the highly anticipated follow-up to her ‘Indulgence’ series which was launched in October 2011 with the opening of her Pop-up gallery.

This exhibition is Lisa’s first solo show for 2012 and will showcase her darker side — exposing these new narrative paintings which continue to possess her signature otherworldly style.

Lisa is fascinated by Pop Culture, specifically the prevailing pinnacle of the vampire trend — “I created this vampire series with the desire to put a twist on the typical vampire archetype. Here, I am depicting these beautiful monsters in all of their glory and all of their loneliness. Their human qualities and shortcomings play an essential role in the underlying message of my works.”

My art on Etsy - 'Inside Out' Original Painting on Canvas

Are you on Etsy? Do you sell or buy? Apparently many do as some 1.3 billion page views were recorded this February. True, it’s taken a few years but I’ve finally succumbed. It seemed like a daunting place for a new seller, one that was really saturated with artists, craftspeople and 11 million unique items to compete against.

So, how do you have your own voice on Etsy? I suppose a similar challenge lies with facebook — a powerful brand in and of itself that’s ever morphing and out of your control in terms of layout and navigation. I have to admit I had hesitated with merging my brand with Etsy’s… I was afraid it would make my work appear more artisan then artist. Will the benefits of Etsy outweigh the potential risk of skewing the brand I’ve been working so hard to build up….? Only time will tell.

Okay, enough of the cynicism. The bright side is I took the plunge and I’m really excited to be part of the 800,000+ sellers and it was actually quite fun to set up my store — really! And although my custom-designed banner is quite small (at 60 x 100 pixels), I feel it is an extension of my brand which is in my control in terms of design.

If you happen to be an Etsy shopping pro, you’ll know all about the app. During a business meeting last week, I stepped away to the ladies room and upon returning, I learned my colleague had just purchased a photographic print on Etsy using her iPhone (while I was in the loo!). Talk about convenient shopping! This colleague leads a particularly busy life and she said it was the only 5 minutes she had to herself all day, so she best purchase the print before she forgot!

Read all about the Etsy iPhone app here: http://www.etsy.com/apps/504438152/etsy-for-iphone

And please visit my new Etsy shop: Lisa Penz Artworks Shop

Thank you! And happy shopping : )

I recently had a visitor come to my studio. This is a rare occasion… okay, it’s actually never happened before. I’m typically very conservative when it comes to others watching me paint in my environment but I gave in when local photographer Fred Fraser asked to do a narrative photo shoot of me working.

I’ve posted some of my favorite shots Fred took below. What I enjoy most about them is their softness. Fred, clearly gifted, is able to capture those ‘in-between’ moments (as I like to call them).

To view more of Fred’s narratives another other work, visit his site here.

The ultimate visionary, Walt Disney was, and apparently still is as his legacy lives on through the Disney empire — through those who enjoy his theme parks and films.

Walt had incredible foresight and faith — an unstoppable combination. I admire him a lot for his tenacity and wonder what he was like during moments of doubt and despair… We don’t hear a lot about those. He was only human after all.

I came across the quote above and I loved it so much that I wanted to spend the time to create this design. It almost reminds me of a popsicle! Very “Disney”, I suppose : )

You can find it on Pinterest here.

It’s been nearly 50 years since the passing of Walt Disney and Disneyland is as wonderful as ever and is nowhere near completed. Walt was so right.

I’m excited to announce that my painting ‘Orange Rush’ is featured on the cover of the Spring issue of Rising Women magazine! The team at Rising Women put it to a vote and selected ‘Orange Rush’ after narrowing it down from runner-ups:  ’Tastes Like Summer’ and ‘Modern Renaissane III’.

There is a feature article about me on the first page too! Very exciting. You can read it here.

Has anyone else noticed that the art in the sets of tv shows is either really good or really bad? Understandably – the set dec team has a budget to adhere to but I don’t think that’s an excuse for dull or dated art when there’s a wealth of vibrant, exciting and appropriate art out there. You might be thinking that originals could be very cost-prohibited, but I believe most of the time prints and replicas are used on-set so the set dec team doesn’t have to manage original art.

There are a few shows that I adore the set décor of. Locally filmed ‘Once Upon A Time’, not so locally filmed ‘Gossip Girl’ — to name a few. I would love to see my art in these shows! I think about it quite often actually. The sets are so elaborately and beautifully thought out. After wondering what my art might look like on these shows, I took matters in my own hands and I’ve attached a few images which contain my art in the sets! See above. I am using these as my vision board for TV show art.

What are some of your favourite shows and sets? Have you noticed any exquisite art on these shows you love?

There’s a good reason why I haven’t downloaded the Instagram app for iPhone… until now. I’m obsessed! I may need an intervention.

I downloaded it yesterday, which worked out perfectly considering I was performing in musical ‘Avenue Q’. As this was our encore performance, there was a lot of love and emotive material for me to capture. I’ve included some of the pics above!

Since the beginning of 2012 I have been working on some exciting yet discreet projects and its been challenging not to post any of my new work since I love sharing with everyone. Instagram is the perfect outlet and solution for me at this time. I’m thrilled to share some of my photos with you all. I love that this process is instant and that I don’t have to wait for the paint to dry to showcase something creative!

If you would like to follow me on Instagram, my profile name is: lisapenz

What’s yours? xx

I always photograph my new paintings outside. Overcast days are the best since there’s no glare from the sun… so Vancouver is the perfect place to take artwork pics!

Today, I had to photograph one of my paintings in a hurry. It snowed last night, so I had to bundle up! I don’t prefer to go out in the snow with my artwork but since I was rushed to take this photograph, I was desperate. To my surprise though, the snow created a really nice lighting effect.

I wasn’t alone. My cat, who is a very curious and helpful Maine Coon decided to join me. He usually behaves as if he doesn’t like the snow but I snapped some shots of him that may conflict with that notion. I had so much fun taking pics of him that I nearly lost track of why I was outside freezing in the first place! : )

Evil Queen by Noah. Disney Fine Art.

Art by Jenny Chung. Property of Disney.

I’ve just returned from an amazing New Years trip to Disneyland! It’s hard to believe I haven’t been there since I was 10 yrs old! A lot has changed since then but the enchanted feeling of being inside the Park remains. No one does it quite like Disney. I had forgotten how magical it is. Shame on me!

One of the highlights was discovering some breathtaking ‘Disney Underground’ art. I was so thrilled to be amongst artwork that felt in a similar vein as my own. Coming from Vancouver — a city of landscapes and conservative art, it felt so incredible to be surrounded by contemporary illustrative styles and vibrant themes.

I was blown away by the work of artist Noah and his new ‘Villain’ collection. The way that he captured the Evil Queen from Snow White was absolutely stunning and ethereal. I couldn’t stop staring at this dark and compelling portrait. I’ve attached an image above. It amazed me how Noah managed to make something so beautiful out of something pure evil.

I was also really drawn to the work of Jenny Chung. She captures the illustrative style of the Disney princesses eloquently and so graphically. I really enjoyed the simplicity and flow of how she composes her work. It turns out Jenny was raised in Vancouver too which makes her even more cool! Read more about Jenny on her blog.

I wanted to bring back a special piece and it took me several days to come to a decision. In the end, I went back to my original inspiration and choose a Little Mermaid limited edition giclee by world-renowned Disney visionary Larry Nikolai. This piece I own now is called “Longing To Dance”. In 2011, The artist and Disney Imagineer Larry Nikolai had also Art Directed the concept work for the brand new Little Mermaid ride ‘Ariel’s Undersea Adventures’. This process took 3 years! And no doubt it did — it’s spectacular.

It’s astounding to me how these Disney Princess images never seen to get old. Nostalgia is so powerful. I feel privileged to have experienced a wide range of interpretations of the characters among various artists. The film Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs was released in 1937 and Snow White’s presence in Disneyland is as popular as ever! I have to admit… I’m really tempted to create my own portrayals of my favourite characters.

What are your favourite characters from childhood that still resonate with you now?

If you had to decorate your own Christmas tree, reflecting yourself and your business — what would you do? What would it look like?

This very subject was one of my fun challenges this December. In late November Rize Alliance contacted me and asked if I would decorate my own unique tree for the Rize House! I have to admit, I was a little nervous at the thought and a few questions raced throughout my mind… How can I make it fun — (and not tacky)? How can I make it my own without being too much? And how can I make it memorable…? You wouldn’t think decorating a tree is a big deal but when it’s your brand on public display — you really want to a good job!

As I reflected on 2011, it was important to me that my tree should keep consistent with my Indulgence theme. I decided to feature my ‘Butterscotch Ripple Effect’ mini-prints with silver hand-made bows. Considering my theme was all about sweet things, I thought it would be cool to have a part of the tree edible — so I turned Lindt Dark Chocolate Truffles into ornaments!

If you’ve decorated any fun, themed Christmas trees this holiday season, please share — I’d love to see them!

Read more about the Rize trees and initiative here.