Artist Lise Poulsen will be in this year’s Beyond The Fringe.
What is your artistic background?
No formal training apart from classes with many wonderful fibre artists over the years. I have been making hand-made paper (to a fine art level) and books for over 20 years, moving into fulling and felting in the past twelve years.
Why did you choose the medium of fiber to express yourself?
It started with a happy accident, when I took a paper-making class many years ago. I found my perfect medium through manipulating all kinds of fibre – indulging my love of colour and texture. When I started out, I didn’t realize there was so much scope and variety to fibre art!
What is your process from original idea to finished piece?
I start out by gathering as many images as I can. Once I have a rough idea, I will sketch out the piece. Because many of my pieces incorporate multiple layers and surface techniques, I’ll annotate the sketch with the compositional details. This is an iterative process, as more ideas are thrown up, and technical challenges have to be solved.
Once I have a clear idea noted, then I’ll start working on the elements of the piece. Of course, sometimes I’ll start right in working on a piece, and it takes shape in my hands! These are often the most surprising and eye-opening pieces.
What do you love about fiber art? What do you find frustrating?
I love the wide variety of fibres that can be worked into cohesive ideas. I love the colours, whether provided by other artisans or dyed myself. I love the ability to create so much texture, from very fine surfaces to representations of nature.
If anything, as I get older I suppose I find the physical work involved in felting more challenging, and the frustration is more with the limitations of my body than any limitations of the medium!
What is your artistic vision?
How did you find that vision?
What challenges you as an artist?
I need to be challenged by outside events and requirements. The biggest evolutions in my work have come from working on special commissions and shows. For example, my paper and book-making work was advanced by a request to create a set of personalized family albums to celebrate a wedding. My felting work is taking a new direction, inspired by the parameters of the “Body Language” show at the Stables Gallery.
How do you handle personal road blocks in your artwork?
I’m still trying to figure that out! If I can find a challenge to work towards, that’s a very good approach for me, so I’ll seek out opportunities that will get my creativity flowing again.
Where do you find inspiration?
Can I say that I am very inspired by what other artists are doing in the fibre medium? Although I’ve been working with fibre for over 20 years, I hadn’t had the time to devote to it until I retired, and now I’m just astounded by what people are doing. Often the work of several artists will get me thinking in a whole new direction of my own.
Let’s say you have a huge grant to build an art piece of your dreams. What would you make?
I would love to create a natural setting using felt, along the lines of an old European forest. I have always been a sucker for the old fairy tales, and can envision mossy banks, old gnarled trees, and a subtle element of mystery!
Do you have any upcoming projects or art shows this year?
My husband and I are moving our gallery from Truchas to our own place in Penasco. We’ll have a lot of work to turn the building into a gallery, but the potential is there to make it into a multi-purpose art space as well as a showcase for our art.
How can people contact you?
I can be contacted through our gallery website Gaucho Blue my email address is Lise @ GauchoBlue.com
