Written by LDS & Vanessa Burton, Feb 2015
Beautifully restructured photo-realism meets high-end fashion illustration.
With great pleasure we finally caught up for coffee with one of South Australia’s most prominent emerging artists Lisa King to talk over her journey to date, major influences, music and our shared passion for Port Adelaide.
Starting out in the field of design Lisa opened up the Adelaide based Paperhorse Studio in 2008. Through inspiration that came primarily from the China Heights gallery in Sydney’s Surry Hills; she split the space forming a creative hive of like-minded artists and designers under a single roof.
Moving through the realms of graphic design Lisa finally landed quite comfortably in the world of paint and raw aesthetics. It was through this progression that she left the Paperhorse behind and concentrated on her passion for portraiture where earlier works with charcoals and oils have showcased in a number of group exhibitions. For us its her high-end fashion edge that elevates her work from those around her.
Late last year Lisa was picked up by the team at Urban Walkabout to commission the cover of a number of their City Guides. She told us just what a buzz it was to work with the all female team and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. Urban Walkabout have subsequently kept Lisa on-board providing her the role of National illustrator for future 2015 publications.
Lisa is now taking the next step towards her dream by taking her art-form to the streets and at dizzy new heights! She is producing large murals which are popping up all across Adelaide from the ‘Love Nurse’ mural featured at Wonderwalls (Port Adelaide) to a huge commissioned mural on the side of the Majestic Minima Hotel, Melbourne St, North Adelaide.
Asked about her influences we stumbled across shared ground as it turns out Lisa is also a huge fan of Polish street artists Etam Cru and likewise acknowledges just what a huge feat it is for the regeneration of Port Adelaide, as an artistic village, to boast a mural by these guys. She is also very respectful of local street artist Joel Van Moore (AKA “Vans the Omega”) as well as hyper-photo-realist artist Robin Eley and painter Anna Platten (of ‘The Devil is in the Detail’).
Lisa is now working full-time as an artist out of her studio apartment and as a result experimenting much deeper than she previously had time for. Before her work is set to jettison over to San Francisco for an April exhibition in the States, Lisa is finalising the final details for her upcoming exhibition on the styles of critically acclaimed film director Wes Anderson. The event will be held at Sugar Nightclub on 5th March and will feature a selection of artists works as noted below.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this article, to contact Lisa please refer to her website below.
THE-VINTAGE 