Meet Lisa Levine | Photographic/Digital Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Levine and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
One of my favorite quotes is from Andy Warhol; . “Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.”

One of the greatest obstacles to a creative practice is the presence of a judging voice in one’s own head that, if you pay it too much attention, can quickly shut down the creative process. I find that working past this voice is the best solution to this problem and that’s what Andy Warhol’s advice is about. Throughout the years that I was teaching I often encountered students who were paralyzed by self doubt about their art. I would give them a simple assignment: go home and make 10 bad pieces of art. The work they would come back with invariably had the seeds of new directions for their artwork to take. They just had to turn off the “talking head.” It took some years in my early practice for me to figure this out but I definitely abide by this today.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
For many years as an artist I worked pretty much in obscurity. Recognition and appreciation of your art is never guaranteed so the drive to create must be strong and come from within. The visual art market is very much driven by fashion, not unlike many other art markets. I have never been a follower of trends and for many years there was not a consistent market for my work in galleries. Rather than cave to the pressures of art market fashion I decided to pursue public art commissions. My interest in public art is based on my enthusiasm for creating art that can reach audiences outside conventional art venues and allow people to have encounters with art as part of their daily lives. This path has been very rewarding to me although it is not any easy arena to enter. You have to start with small budget commissions and successfully complete them. This can help to open opportunities for larger commissions.

Pursuing public art commissions is certainly not an easy path to take. There is a lot of competition for each commission. Generally there are 100-200 applications and the commissioning body will create a short list of about 3-6 artists from the applicant pool who will then present proposal ideas for the particular site specific work to be commissioned. Eventually, one artist will be chosen for the commission. In 2013 I was one of three finalists for the LA Metro Extension Line project. I thought my work would be perfect for that commission but I didn’t get it. That was a tough project to lose but I was not deterred and I continued to pursue other commissions and have had many since that time.

Creating pubic work projects has taken me to some interesting locations that I might not have visited on my own. I’ve photographed inside a refinery, on the deck of the Oakland Span of the Bay Bridge during both the construction of the new bridge and dismantling of the old and traveled to many cities I might not have ever visited to do work for universities, hospitals, transportation and other health care environments. I am motivated by the belief that encounters with art can enliven and bring beauty to peoples’ lives. In the public context, art can provide a bountiful visual experience and present opportunities for reflection, contemplation, and discourse. There’s a lot of ugliness in the world today and I am grateful to be able to have the opportunities to counter that with a little bit of beauty whenever possible.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My first stop would be a long walk along the beach from Santa Monica into Venice. I love the ocean and the sand and it’s one of the reasons I live near the coast. I’d probably head back to Santa Monica and have lunch at Perry’s because I can sit in the sand and enjoy the sunshine while dining. I’d definitely want to grab some dinner at Cha Cha Chicken and if it’s a Thursday night in the summer maybe catch a concert at the Santa Monica Pier.

I also would spend a day at the Getty enjoying not just the art exhibitions but also the beautiful gardens and outdoor spaces. I’d definitely have to visit one of the many great Persian restaurants in Westwood and have ice cream at Wonder Lust. The Ube ice cream is the best!

I’d probably take my guest to Bergamont Station to walk through the galleries after a huge breakfast of pancakes at The Griddle Cafe. We would need to walk off that breakfast!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Every few years I reread my most beloved book, The Gift, by Lewis Hyde. It is an anthropological overview that takes a look at art and the creative process across many different cultures, times, and materials. It looks at art in the context of a gift economy where a person’s wealth is measured not by what they possess but by what they give away. The “gifted” artist must in turn give the gift. And hence the work of art is created and shared. There is so much packed into this book that I can’t begin to address in short form. Best to read it yourself. It’s worth it.

I must also shout out to my husband, Alan, who has always supported and encouraged me to make art, even when he didn’t quite understand some of the ideas I was working with.

Website: www.lisalevinephoto.com

Instagram: @lisalevinephoto

Linkedin: Lisa Levine

Twitter: @LisaLevinePhoto

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LisaLevinephotography