Lisa O’Riley is a classically trained artist and avid student of old master’s techniques and traditions. She admires the longevity and permanence of these disciplines. In contrast, she is intrigued by urban street art because of its fleeting messages to a non-participatory audience.
She was born in Monterey, CA and spent her early childhood in Honolulu, HI. She earned a BFA degree in Art from Arizona State University and studied oil painting at the Colorado Art Academy and the Scottsdale Artists’ School. In addition to traditional media, her work encompasses elements of interior wall glazes and ornamental line embellishments.
Lisa currently resides in Phoenix, AZ and enjoys occasional weekend drives to Southern California for artistic inspiration. She enjoys that Phoenix has evolved into a cultural hub while still retaining its core sense of edgy, rural decay. Because Phoenix is in a stage of urban renewal, Lisa feels a type of renaissance occurring around her. The local art community has become an extremely supportive environment, which she interprets through her recent work.
Lisa finds artistic inspiration in alternative music, local nightlife, and unrestrained displays of food and drink—the kind that welcome celebration. She is influenced by Byzantine art, Catholic iconography, and Spanish architecture. Particularly, she is intrigued by the transitional period when ornamental aspects of the International Gothic style gave way to the realistic qualities of the early Renaissance.