Interview: Lisa Congdon

Name: Lisa Congdon
Occupation: Artist, Illustrator, Co-owner, Rare Device
Location: San Francisco, CA

Illustration portfolio
Fine art portfolio
My portfolio at Lilla Rogers Studio (agent)
Paintings on Flickr

1. What kind of art do you make?
I am mostly a painter, but I also do collage work, ink drawing and digital illustration.

2. What do you enjoy most about working in this medium?
Paint is the most forgiving medium. When you paint, you don’t have to render perfectly the first time your brush hits the surface. You continue to paint until you get the effect you want, and you can paint over mistakes or glitches, developing and layering as you go. I love that about painting. I am the most relaxed when I am painting. It takes the longest, but I feel the final result has the most depth.



3. What challenges have you found in your work?
As a full time artist, I make art almost everyday. As exciting as it is that this is my daily path now (and I wouldn’t trade it for anything), I struggle with generating new ideas, keeping them fresh and executing them in a way that people will respond to. Staying creative and positive requires enormous focus because I rarely take a break from it. That said, anytime I feel overwhelmed, I remember the days when I sat in front of a computer and in meetings all day in an office, and I feel enormously grateful for the path that I am on now. I really love being an artist and illustrator.

little corner of Lisa's studio

4. Where do you find inspiration?
I am really fortunate to live in a really amazing and beautiful city. San Francisco is paradise to me. It’s filled with enormous natural beauty, diverse cultures, an amazing art scene, beautiful architecture, wonderful food and people. I feel inspired being here, most of all.



5. What are your favorite artists, designer or blogs.
I love so many artists and designers, but some of my favorites are: Ian Johnson, Mike Maxwell, the late Margaret Kilgallen, Olle Oksell, Matthew Brannon, and the late Alexander Girard.



6. Other things about me!
I live in the Mission District of San Francisco with my partner, our 9 pound Chihuahua Wilfredo, and our cats. Barry and Margaret. I have lived in San Francisco for 19 years. I work almost everyday in my beautiful studio, which is a few blocks from my apartment. I also co-own a small shop and gallery in San Francisco called Rare Device (www.raredevice.net). We sell design objects, art and design books, housewares, etc. and we show a range of emerging artists from all over the world. I love to swim and ride my bike, cook with my partner, and read the New York Times on Sunday morning.