Lisa Marie Barber

Lisa’s House
mixed media drawing on quilted fabric, appliques, embroidery, beads, ribbons, buttons
88 x 63 in.

My aesthetic sensibility is rooted in Central American Folk Art and the Mexican Catholic shrines of my heritage and upbringing. For most of my childhood in Southern Arizona, this was the artwork I knew and I practiced making creations in similar ways. Whether it was through my novice interpretation or some forgotten informal training I received as a child, I came to believe that ornamentation and excess denoted value and importance. Materials weren’t required to be “fine” and tools were expected to be simple. Evidence of “the hand” (the maker) was never something to be self-conscience of or craftily removed. Throughout my life, I’ve remained loyal to this style of making.

For most of my professional career, I’ve created large-scale ceramic installations where passive figures occupy dense arrangements as if centerpieces to improvised shrines. While my aesthetic and process have stayed the same, I have cropped down the work over the past several years. These relatively “smaller” assemblages encompass my imagined, decorative conceptions of home, gardens, peacefulness, playfulness, and celebration. Although the majority of my studio practice consists of creating ceramic sculptures from recycled clay, multi-fired with ceramic materials at low temperatures, I also create large-scale mixed-media quilts. Regardless of material, my embedded concepts and style are consistent; I am actively creating in both mediums.

My artworks, while not simple compositions, are simple in concept and method. At their heart, they serve as personal meditations on the ease, happiness, and beauty that outlines every day.

© Lisa Marie Barber