Lisa Perrett

Lisa Perrett

Artist Statement

I’ve always thought of myself as someone without a story, a girl who just chose art because it was the only thing she was remotely good at, but it’s not like that anymore.

Art is an organ; it keeps me alive. Art, works as a therapy for my story, every brush stroke is a release of emotion. For me, painting is an aggressive process; the canvas absorbs my negative energy. And not always am I concentrated on the subject matter, mind racing, focused on how I feel at the time about what’s happening in my life. 

My subject matter is always based on personal fears, an obsession of fighting what I’m most afraid of; death, drugs, rape, childbirth, body-change, loosing control, love, and emotional destruction.  

The way I paint is the way I think, blunt and direct. I aim to connect with viewers who take interest in my subject. I believe that shocking someone grabs attention, but to shock is not my overall aim. 

With textual analysis about the painting I want the viewer to walk away with a thought, an idea or an emotion about my imagery. I want them to understand my context and to relate to it, whether it is in disagreement, shock or objection to the image, past experience, realisation of truth, agreement or admiration of the painting. I believe that the best artists are the ones who speak their mind, who never limit their contexts and who show true passion in their practice, I aim to be this artist; fearless. 

Currently I’m working on a project about childbirth. Working from a long timeline of the process of pregnancy, I am creating paintings that on my fear of the complications in pregnancy including miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion, body change, pain, and worry. My aim is to respond to the reality of pregnancy, and portray my perception of childbirth.