Lisa Call with her work Markings 22 and Markings 11

To me, one of the most enlightening experiences for an artist is to understand how other artists think and work. Not only is it interesting to hear how they got where they are today, but it’s often amazing to see how the simplest of ideas can blossom into an entire body of work.

I’m fairly certain there is no one reading my blog who isn’t familiar with Lisa Call’s work. I’ve known her for many years, since the Nancy Crow classes we both went to. It was at about this time that Lisa began working on her Structures series, which is now close to numbering over one hundred works. Having been in two critique groups with her, I’ve seen this series evolve over the years, and it’s just amazing to me how many different variations she’s come up with in pursuing her idea. I think she’s got quite a few more ideas still to go.

Lisa’s latest series, called Markings, is now on display at the Macky Auditorium Gallery in Boulder, Colorado, through March 19. If you get a chance to see this exhibit, I highly recommend it as both a visual treat and an educational experience. Lisa gave an artist’s talk last Saturday explaining where the idea for the Markings series began – as drawn lines and cross hatchings done while she was in meetings at work. The creative mind never rests!

The exhibit shows how this one idea became the catalyst for a multitude of compositions, varying in size, color, and complexity, each one unique yet clearly asserting its relationship to the others. To see these works in person is very different from in a photo, where you do not get the rich sense of texture that’s created by the very closely spaced quilting lines in each piece. My favorite is Markings #7, a virtuoso performance in color and craftsmanship. You can see an image of the quilt and read Lisa’s statement about it here.