THE SIX FOOT GALLERY INTERVIEW: Lisa Bonner

How did your artistic journey start?
I have been creative for as long as I can remember. I recently graduated from City of Glasgow College, where I studied a BA (Hons) Contemporary Art Practice. Throughout my time there I  had the time to experiment and find out what really interests me.

How did you arrive at the theme of your work?
Over time in my studies, my work gradually morphed into these themes through research and experimentation. I found my love for colour theory and wanted to combine it with ideas that affect our society today such as our over-reliance on technology, its effects on us and the materials that we use and waste in our toxic cycle of producing, buying and wasting materials constantly, especially technologies.

Can you walk us through your creative process?
I tend to take inspiration from photographs or videos I take, old paintings/drawings I’ve done or from something I’ve read or seen. I prefer to use a cycle-like process, where I might start with say a photograph and work with it into a painting, then a digital work, light projections, into printmaking etc. and put it back into a painting/digital work etc. to have a constant circular process of experimenting and working through different mediums to see what can happen. It always interests me to see how far I can push a material such as paint and how far I can manipulate it from the starting point of what originally inspired me.

How has your practice changed over time?
When I first started in my studies I didn’t really have a process in my practice. I tended to draw and paint but throughout my time and thereafter studying I came to discover new processes such as digital arts or sculptures which I combine and experiment with.

How do you overcome creative blocks?
Keep creating, I tend to paint when I have a creative block, it helps me to just start painting, it doesn’t matter what, a lot of the time to just test paint colours and textures, to not think too much, to just act in painting, this usually inspires other thoughts and ideas or if it doesn’t in the moment, it’s a great way to spend your time and it may help to inspire works further on in your practice.

Who influences you? Which other artists work do you love? 
Artists that influence me include those such as David Batchelor and Olafur Eliasson whose works and writing both heavily influenced and helped me during my studies to form ideas and interests in themes such as colour theory and our impact on the earth and each other, which I continue to take forward in my practice today.

What advice would you give to artists who are just starting out?
I’m just starting out myself but I would say create what you want to create, not create what you think will appeal to people. Be true to your interests and don’t be afraid to keep experimenting and doing different types of art to see what interests you the most.

Lisa is one of our gallery interns and we’re proud to show her work. You can see more of Lisa’s work on Instagram @lisabonner_art

Our Winter Show, Warm Voices, runs at Six Foot Gallery until 9 January 2024.

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