Why are the paintings so small?
The small scale forces the observer to look – really look – at all there is to see.
A great many people look without truly seeing.
Once adapted to the finer scale, the eyes begin to focus acutely, perhaps more so than they might with a larger work.
In addition, painting on this scale takes dedication, skill and a very steady hand. These charming paintings, in their astoundingly diminutive scale, and with the remarkable attention to details such as wreaths, garden flowers and posted house numbers are among the qualities and reasons that make Lisa’s work outstanding and different – and why her reputation continues to grow.
The mounted canvas or canvas-board sizes range from 5 cm x 5 cm to 10 cm x 15 cm (2″ x 2″ to 4″ x 6″). The medium is acrylic paint. The style and proportions of the house determine the size of canvas Lisa chooses. Prices for commissioned pocket paintings are in the $600-$1000 range.
Why paint homes?
“All of us are attached to our homes,” Lisa says. “A home is where everyday moments and particularly special memories occur. We raise our families, cook and eat meals together, sleep and dream, make plans, and work and play in our homes. On the outside, we take pride in the look of our home, we put care into its upkeep, or we design and plant gardens out front. Homes are an important part of our physical and emotional lives — they encompass and represent all that we hold as dear.”
The story behind pocket paintings
One dark evening in January 2009, Lisa’s two sons were quietly doing their homework at the kitchen table. In the cabinet that housed the pencils, rulers and other homework supplies was a small, mounted canvas – a leftover prize from a birthday party. The urge to paint on the canvas took over Lisa and she found a photo of their three-storey, Victorian townhouse. By dinnertime, the house was sketched and the first touches of paint were applied. The final result was not a masterpiece, but it was something quite unusual. It became the very first pocket painting, and it inspired Lisa to make many more.