Artist in the spotlight: Angie Lister

Inspired by the natural world, Los Angeles-based artist Angie Lister creates paintings that reflect the sense of wonder and mystery surrounding us. Her gallery, “Out of the Loop,” aims to break the cycle of overthinking that we so often get stuck in, through “wild and bold” paintings inspired by the early 20th century Fauvist art movement. Lister’s work may bring up many questions, but she was able to give us plenty of answers in this interview:

Alexis Heinitz: How would you describe your work as an artist?

Angie Lister: My work is a colorful organic experience that is created from nature and the imagination. I focus on blending shapes and colors together to create a fun composition that can be enjoyed without even knowing what the inspiration for the image comes from. I want my work to grab your attention, and to be fun.

AH: Who or what inspires your work?

AL: My work is directly inspired by nature. I love the natural world, its shapes and forms. I push the colors in an extravagant way to emphasize the shapes working together even more. The microscopic world is also fascinating, for instance, one of the paintings in this show is inspired by scotch under a microscope. The smallest of things can be the greatest of inspirations.

AH: How long have you been painting, and when did you find your passion for it?

AL: I have been painting since I was a kid. My grandmother bought those ceramic Christmas houses at the craft store, and my sister and I would paint them with her. My houses looked like they were painted professionally and I was 10, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I did it as a hobby for most of my life, taking museum courses and private lessons when I could. I went to college as a theatre major and took a painting class, and was inspired by artists that made a living from being an artist, rather than it being a hobby. It’s been all painting since.

AH: How would you describe your creative process?

AL: It’s typically a happy accident that I find the inspiration to create a series of paintings. Once I was raking my yard and I noticed how amazing broken, empty walnut shells are. I quit raking, gathered about 200 walnut shells and then macro photographed them for hours. They became a collage of 40 5″ x 8″ black and white charcoal images of these almost sci-fiesque landscapes.

AH: Do you have any upcoming plans or artistic goals for this year?

AL: Yes, many things. I am working on marketing my designs, I am in several shows in March and April, and I am working on a series that incorporates the portrait and the microscopic. My long-term goal is to create an artist live/work space in Los Angeles that focuses on creativity and community.

“Out of the Loop” is free and open to the public until March 24, located at North Central’s Fine Arts Center.