OFF THE WALL WITH LISA FROMARTZ
By Nicole Bray
In her bright and airy fifth floor studio on Spring Street, Lisa Fromartz, lives and works surrounded by her dynamic and intricate sculptural installations, and her colorful and gestural paintings. Her allegiance to highly visual art with strong composition has remained constant throughout her career. Her desire to embrace her surroundings and absorb the cultural landscape in elegant abstraction is a signature note of her style. She takes the vocabulary of everyday objects and the mass media to create vibrant, exciting, and sensual works.
Semian, 2014 (acrylic on canvas, 72 x 60 in) propped against the wall of Fromartz’s studio
Pitching from sculpture, to collage, to photography, and painting, her work draws on the detailed messiness of life, but her skillful abstraction of the elements erases their previous meaning to produce a work that is open to interpretation each time it is encountered. This openness gives the work longevity and rewards the viewer with each encounter. Her sculptural works are incredibly playful and sophisticated in composition, as she explores and incorporates unexpected forms and materials like foam, crutches, window blinds, hair rollers, plastic, mesh and metal scraps. However, it’s not until you look closely at the sculpture that the familiarity of these objects reveal themselves from the abstract. These sculptural installations and mobiles were a springboard for Fromartz to create prints, collages, and photographs, drawing on the colors, forms, fragments, and representations of the objects she had gathered from the streets.
Fromartz’s studio with Spano, 2002 (plexiglass, plastic, wood, nylon, wire mesh, 114 x 100 x 36 in) in the background and Glide, 2002 (plastic, polyester, wood, vinyl, 74 x 102 x 26 in) in the foreground.
Pavo, 2007 (vinyl, aluminum, polycarbonate, 54 x 48 x 16 in)
Her paintings are nothing short of uplifting, working with form and color to perfect their composition.
Dahzheem, 2016 (acrylic on canvas, 60 x 48 in)
Pyxis, 2016 (acrylic on canvas, 60 x 42 in)
Ni Babilu, 2010 (archival pigment inkjet, 33 x 92 in)
Jaspin, 2010 (archival pigment inkjet, 33 x 92 in)
Olexar, 2010 (archival pigment inkjet, 33 x 92 in)
It’s exciting, sensual, and intellectually challenging to load a brush with paint and move it across a canvas with the intention of making a finished work—wherever that may lead. I wanted to get back into the paint: to draw, brush, pour, and throw it into something that felt open and expansive. – Lisa Fromartz
Lisa recalls the time she read about an archeologist who found a fragment of an ancient vase. From seeing its curves and precision, he knew that an entire civilization lived behind this fragment. This analogy extends to her paintings; Fromartz intends for the energy, expansiveness, and mystery of the painting to extend beyond the canvas. As an artist, you invite the viewer into the presence of your work, through their imagination and history they draw connections and meaning in the work. One interesting part to note, the titles of her works are made-up words, or words from obscure languages, so that no meaning can be inferred onto the painting and it is purely up to the viewer’s discretion.
Lisa has known she was an artist from a very young age. She views the world through the lens of art and her work is an extension of her voice. This has taken her across the globe and landed her in prestigious public and private collections. From the genesis of Lisa’s career, art has been a conduit for her to comment on culture, history, and her environment. The Museum of Modern Art and the Brooklyn Museum have recognized her life’s work with them both acquiring key works.
Portrait of the artist, Lisa Fromartz
For inquiries about Lisa’s work please contact info@mercercontemporary.com
– Nicole Bray, Contemporary Art Consultant | info@mercercontemporary.com
artREAL contributor Nicole Bray is the founder of Mercer Contemporary and guides private and corporate clients through each step of acquiring, selling, managing, and displaying artwork. She received her Masters in Contemporary Art (Hons.) from Sotheby’s Institute of Art, New York. She was the recipient of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Emerging Curator Fellowship 2015, and has worked at both an Auction House and for a distinguished private family. If you would like to contact Nicole, or if you are interested in starting your own collection, please email her at info@mercercontemporary.com or visit www.mercercontemporary.com.