FLUX WHERE EXCEPTIONAL ART COMES TOGETHER UNDER ONE ROOF
From Thursday the 25th of July to Sunday the 28th of July
GUIDED BY THE QUEEN OF CULTURE LADY LISA GRAY https://www.fluxexhibition.com/flux-exhibitions/
Steven meets one of the leading lights of THE FLUX exhibition Lisa Izquirado .
“The true strength of a woman is our ability to allow ourselves to be vulnerable.”
Lilli – artist
Even without meeting an artist, a great artist’s work talks to you. For me, I walk in and am almost immediately hypnotised by the story or emotion they are transferring to canvas. Sometimes I can even feel their pain or trauma running through my veins for a moment, as well as the joy and happiness.
A devotee of S and M, Francis Bacon´s brilliant work can never be copied. Not just because of the magnitude of skill, but also due to the parts of Bacon´s often tortured soul that he liberally poured into his work. I remember his sold out exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. A news anchor interviewed various attendees about Bacon’s work, among them a psychologist who commented, “I would love to have had a chance to counsel him!” I could not have laughed harder and wanted to retort “Really my dear, he would have wiped the floor with you”.
It is what makes Frida Kahlo so unique too, not just the skill, but you can feel her energy and fight for life through her work; you just cannot tear your eyes away. It is almost a shame she has become a fashionable artist associated with style. Her story is so much more powerful than anything linked to fashion. But in the same breath it has to be said (thanks to Madonna and others) it has brought Kahlo´s work to the masses and encouraged many who may not have sat at the art table before to explore what it has to offer.
I am always on the lookout for exciting new artists . There is no better place than to take yourself to one of The FLUX Exhibitions https://www.fluxexhibition.com/flux-exhibitions/ created by Lisa Gray her presence commands great art to surround her there is something for everyone’s taste and these events are well worth looking out for
My personal favourite that stood out was by an artist called Lilli. Full name Lisa Lilli Izquierdo. Knowing my art, I was not surprised that the Cheshire born former model
was also showing in New York and Madrid. There is something about her work that is almost haunting. To be frank, on first impressions I almost felt it was a little too commercial for my tastes and saw it as an inferior designer´s dream, with pieces sought in Dubai, Cyprus and USA for its stylish quality. But first impressions can be wrong and the more I delved into Lilli´s work, the more it spoke to me. There is however a story that makes her work so much more valuable and sitting down with her confirmed just that.
Do you remember the very first thing you ever drew as a child?
I have always been creative. My sister was the academic, so my mum encouraged my artistic side. My earliest memory of creating art was when I was three years old. I drew a picture of two flowers. I coloured them with different colour crayons. The teacher told me off as I had used the same colour in each flower. Looking back, I use a lot of monochrome in my work.
It makes me giggle that I got scolded for.
What other artists have inspired you?
Oh, without a doubt Monet. I can see his use of texture has a huge influence on me as a grown artist. I draw a lot of energy from other artists, and I can appreciate those that depict suffering or hurt. But when it comes to my personal taste, Monet´s calmness and beauty
fill me with a beautiful energy,
What demographic does your art appeal to?
A lot of women buy my art. From an early age I have been fascinated by the female form.
I used to draw a lot of elfin kind of women. There is something I think women see – the beauty of the female form in my art – and relate to it. Being pushed to look a certain way as model was not healthy and I am careful to depict woman as real now, not nymph like.
Music seems to play a part in art. Who are your favourite musicians? What does sound bring to your art?
Honestly a huge influence and my tastes are so diverse. As soon as I am in the studio
I pop the headphones on, and I am blasting Mozart or Snoop Dog. Vivaldi’s four seasons
is one of my favourites.
How do you feel about the growing trend of crypto art, and is it something you would consider?
Steven I am so badly informed about the trend it is hard for me to comment; I am not sure how it would transfer with the high amount of texturing in my art. I realise that the world moves on and I will keep an eye on it, but I took bitcoins for a print and that did not work out too well for me.
Your art is almost haunting in its affect. How much does it mirror your own life?
Very much so. My piece “The Kiss” may seem very abstract, but it is about the unity
of two people in love. It could be any two people. For me I have found love perhaps later in life, but I plan to marry next year.
I found great solace in my art; it has helped me heal from the modelling industry I entered at the age of 15. Eager to become a success I took off to Madrid on my own. However, it was not long until the dream became somewhat traumatic, as pressures to look a certain way and the sheer competitiveness at a young age began to take its toll on my mental health.
Eventually I had enough and turned to my family business of hairdressing. My father is from Valencia in Spain, He worked with the likes of Vidal Sassoon and Teasy Weasy. I found
using my skills as an artist, plus having lived a little more than most at an early age, gave me an empathetic ear for clients. I still do hairdressing now and combine my time between my art studio and the salon.
If you could buy one piece of Art, what would it be?
Irises in Monet´s Garden. It personifies calmness with an almost heavenly feel. Those little purple flowers hit you with an amazing feel.
If you could invite four people to dinner, dead or alive, who would they be, and why?
Ricky Gervais. I just love him he is hysterical, and life should be about love and laugher.
My financé as he and Ricky would get on. Michelle Obama. I love a strong woman in any event and she is captivating. Someone like Elvis would shake things up!
What is your favourite city to spend a day in looking at art?
Madrid or Barcelona. When I was modelling, we used maps to get around then and the architecture just blew me away as does Barcelona.
What is the one common misconception about you?
That I am a bitch! I was working in a salon and some of the female hairdressers seemed off- hand. When I got chatting to one, she suddenly went, “You know you’re really nice. We all thought you were a bitch.” God, talk about putting people in boxes. There is also the idea that I am super confident. If people knew the real me, I am quite shy. Do not get me wrong, I am a strong woman when I need to be.
What is the one thing you would like to change about the UK if you were prime minster for a day?
The homeless problem. It has become truly shocking in the UK, not just London, but all over.
We are a civilised country, yet we have way too many people sleeping on the streets.
What is the next project we can expect from you?
It takes around 80 hours to create each piece. I am going to be spending more time in the studio over the coming year, working on a new collection.
2Shades Magazine 