Lisa Price is an abstract painter living and working in London. Her watercolours use handmade paints from foraged Earth pigments to emphasize the importance of cherishing Earth's resources. Each pigment tells a unique story of the urban or rural landscapes from which it was sourced and encourages conversations on urgent topics like climate change and sustainability. Lisa's work advocates for positive change and inspires a call to action that motivates collective efforts towards a more sustainable future.

Artiq When did you first decide you wanted to be an artist?

Lisa I knew from when I was about 14 that art was the career I wanted to pursue, I wasn’t completely sure how that would look but I knew that was what I was supposed to be doing. At school, I spent all my free time in the art room. My amazing art teacher, Mr Gleeson, would give me the key to the classroom so I could stay late after school. I’d stay in there for hours on my own working on new projects and reading all the art books!

After leaving university, having studied Fine Art, I did a variety of creative jobs, working for art charities, and other artists in their studios, mural painting and opening my art business in 2017, until finally in 2021 I took the leap to go full time as an artist. It was the best thing I could have done for my practice. I’m so grateful that I get to do the thing that I love every day.

So. In answer to your question, I think it was less that I decided to be an artist and more that it was what I was meant to do.

Artiq You describe your work as emphasizing the importance of cherishing Earth’s resources. What aspects of the natural world most influence your practice?

Lisa All of it. Every leaf blowing in the wind, every rock washed up on the beach, the clouds rumbling in the sky, feeling small in the forest. I use all of it to inspire new work. I love being out in nature, most of our holidays involve hiking, exploring and being isolated in rural settings. We spend most Christmases on the Isle of Mull in Scotland where I take a lot of inspiration. The wild, rugged landscape there is breathtaking (even in the rain!). Highlighting the importance of Earth’s resources plays a huge role in my practice. We have gotten to a point in humanity where we have forgotten or don’t consider where the things we use every day come from and the impact that has on our planet. My paintings and the story behind them are about taking time to reflect on what we have, how we use it and what we can do to improve things for future generations.

Artiq How did you begin foraging and creating your own pigments? How do these techniques tie into historical traditions?

Lisa In 2017, I had a big lifestyle change and became vegan. It was supposed to be a short challenge to myself for one month for Veganuary, but I quickly came to love it and started to do more research into animal welfare, environmental aspects and climate change. Once I knew how much leading a vegan life could positively impact our environment I couldn’t go back. This led me to research how I could be more sustainable in my art practice. I discovered the art of making inks and then using earth minerals for watercolour and quickly became obsessed with making my own. I haven’t used shop-bought paint for around 5 years now and I can honestly say I will never go back to using it. There is something really special about going out foraging for colour, the surprise of each rock, the colour it produces and the connection to the earth. All the pigments I use in my paintings have a personal story for me, where I collected them, what I was doing, and how I was feeling. They influence how I work, and each place has its unique colour palette, it’s a very special process.

This process is how paints were made before the invention of synthetic pigments and before there were shops to choose the exact colour you want over and over again. It is a technique that takes you back in time, slows you down and makes you appreciate the individuality of each paint made.

Artiq How do the pigments behave in comparison to each other and to traditional paint? How does this materiality affect the outcome of your work?

Lisa Essentially they work like any other watercolour paint would. The nice thing about making your own paint from earth minerals is that you can decide to make them super fine and smooth or you can leave them gritty and textured. You can mix different colours during the dry pigment stage or like you would with synthetic paints on the slab.
Using paints made by hand completely changes how you work. The whole process is slow, sometimes arduous and very meditative. The array of earthy tones and the connection to each pigment is personal and grounding. This will always have a profound influence on my practice and how I work.

Artiq How has your interest in environmentalism developed throughout your practice?

Lisa Since I went vegan and became much more aware of climate change my passion and love for our planet has continued to grow. I read a lot and I dedicate time to trying to learn as much as I can about the importance of how our behaviour and ways of living influence our environment and climate change. This part of my practice will keep developing and I hope that by continuing to make work that speaks to this subject it will help others to understand how they can make small changes to help our planet too.

Artiq You work with a lot of organic shapes and repetitive marks. Can you describe the influences and significance behind these?

Lisa Nature plays a huge part in my inspiration. The earth provides the paint for me to express this and so I think this type of mark-making is an inevitable outcome for me. The delicate marks I make are likely to be a combination of being in a meditative state from making the paint, and a way in which I can express the way nature makes me feel. The repetition allows me to slow my mind down, stopping too many thoughts and appreciating being in the present moment.

Artiq Do you have any upcoming projects you would like to share?

Lisa I am currently working on a new collection of watercolour paintings. I am attempting to capture the lighter moments you feel when out in nature, slowing down, and noticing the smallest of things by playing with pastel colours.

I am currently exhibiting at Common Room Projects gallery in Welwyn North, Hertfordshire in a three-person show called Materiality.

Finally, I am working on incorporating poetry into my paintings this year, waiting on the results of some funding that will lead to a solo show early next year.