I suppose this is where I introduce myself and explain why you're here. I've been wanting to start a blog for awhile, but really didn't know where to start. Then I read somewhere (probably Facebook or Instagram) that you just need to start. So here it is.
I'm Lisa Ferrari. That's a start. I live in Christmas Hills Victoria Australia. Sounds like a pretty place, doesn't it. Well, I can't lie, it is a beautiful place to live. Christmas Hills is about 40kms/50 minutes from Melbourne, heading North East. We're on 100 acres that my husband bought back in the 90's and built on in 2004. The land is very hilly with deep valleys and crappy soil. There's not a great deal of flat land around here. We have plenty of wildlife, including mobs of kangaroos that come right up to the deck and chew on anything tasty!
I work out of my studio which is attached to the garage where, when he's not working as a dentist, you can find my husband. He'll be working on his motorbikes or cars and I'll be in here creating. It's nice to share the space but not be in each others way.
I call myself an artist now, but I've always been a maker. That was the only thing that I excelled in at school. Not art so much, but making things. I loved to sew. And weaving. I was a tall kid so I made most of my own clothes as a teenager just to get things long enough for me to wear.
I came to painting later on. In the last 8 years or so actually. Sometimes you just have to wait, and let the universe quietly show you the way.
I would most probably call myself a multimedia artist.
I started painting with oils. I love the way they stay wet and are so blendable. The colours and textures are beautiful to work with. There's no rushing when you're painting with oils.
I also love working with glass, mosaicing, fusing and slumping. There is always that trepidation when you open the kiln and hope that the glass gods have been kind! Again it's the colours and textures of the glass that inspire me. Nothing is flat. It's fascinating how you can take piece of glass and give it shape.
in 2020 & 2021, during Melbourne's long extended lockdowns I doubled down in my studio and taught myself watercolour and then encaustic painting. There are so many amazing artists in the world who have taken the time to do videos and show you how to paint, draw, and sculpt amongst many others things. This has been a time of forced experimentation for me. I like to be productive and creative and now, I need more room in my studio!
That's me in a nutshell. I hope it's been informative and a little bit interesting. It's been nice to sit here and type this out, finally.
I hope that I'll continue to find interesting things to say here. It's kind of cathartic, like a journal or 'Dear Diary' but to be seen and enjoyed, not hidden away under the bed or my pillow.
Until I find something else to write about, take care of yourself. I mean it. Be kind to yourself, and others. The world needs more of that.
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