Lisa is making waves

Lisa Caon has been on the Naracoorte Regional Gallery board for almost a decade and now, the gallery is hosting her first solo exhibition.

Lisa’s passion for all things creative stems back to her childhood, being handed a large piece of paper and a selection of paints at Michelle DeGaris Memorial Kindergarten and being given free rein to create.

Throughout her childhood education, in fact, Lisa was blessed to have mentors in her life that nurtured and fostered that creative pull.

Arts and crafts were a staple during her time at Padthaway Primary School and could well be viewed as the starting point for her focus on water in her art practice.

“We had to paint a picture of a flood, in about Grade 2 or 3 and I ended up painting the whole page blue,” Lisa said.

Inspiring art teachers continued to be a part of her life when Miss Pilkington continued to foster her talent during her years at Naracoorte High School.

“She taught a lot of ‘un-fun stuff’ at the time such as still life and forms and the importance empty space,” Lisa said. “At the beginning of each lesson we would draw this old piece of driftwood, we all hated it but we got faster and faster at the task until we could draw it in our sleep. Amazing.”

Again – a connection to the ocean, which continues to be central to her current work.

And it wasn’t just school where Lisa was able to follow her creative pursuits, her time at the Girl Guides saw her exposed to a variety of art and craft skills, including gaining her floristry badge, a talent that become her carer for a decade alongside Fiona Cameron at Naracoorte Flowers.

Lisa’s first solo exhibition is titled ‘I See You Wave’ which features seascapes and mosaics, inspired by both her childhood years spending holidays at Robe with her grandparents, as well as more recent visits as part of her job.

“People can expect a collection that works together and has a peacefulness,” Lisa said.

Speaking of peace, Lisa is grateful for the workspace she has been able to utilise in the Naracoorte Gallery, particularly for her painting.

“This is my fourth studio space known as Room,” Lisa said. “It is at the top of the stairs and is an important space as it allows me to have a go and has on occasions been important therapy for the soul.

“Working from home in the garage was good for mosaics but found painting needed a quieter space where you were not disturbed by husbands and friends looking for lunch or tinkering on their motorbikes.”

Room 1 is basically a storage room Lisa hires from the gallery that has become a sanctuary for the artist and on any given Sunday you can find her there working for a few hours.

“If the door is open, please drop in and say hello,” she said.

Lisa also inherited some old easels and a desk, gifted from the Naracoorte Palette Club.

Of course, not just having the space to work but to also be offered the exhibition opportunity merges perfectly with Lisa’s board role and her philosophy on encouraging local talent.

“We must celebrate our local artists,” Lisa said. “It’s important they have the support of their community to give them the confidence and the courage to keep going and begin to share their talents further afield.

“It was nice to be asked to exhibit and felt like an opportunity that I was ready for. I showed the Board members some of my etchings and they liked them and we also thought it would complement the current Country Arts exhibition in the main gallery, Island Welcome.”

Once Lisa stepped outside the formal school system, her art education has been more of a self-taught journey.

“I purchased an online art course a few years ago from Blue Beach House Art because I wanted to learn how to paint water,” she said. “It taught me a lot and can highly recommend it.”

Some of Lisa’s work has already been in the public domain, working with Linden Edwards on the large mosaic at the Naracoorte Swimming Lake changerooms, as well as a wall mosaic at the Naracoorte backpackers.

Painting with acrylics is Lisa’s current focus in her art practice, with mosaics always front and centre as well.

“The most recent mosaics are a mix of lead lighting glass, mother of pearl and some tile for durability if used as a table or stand,” she said. “The glass urchins in this exhibition are made from offcuts of the glass and some small glass tesserae all poked into rolled up leftover grout that dries hard.

“I hate wasting leftover materials or paint so I work on a few paintings or other works in any session and this can lead to a bit of abstract work, where the palette knives come out to play or funny garden ornaments happening into existence.”

And while she is happy to show her work in a traditional gallery space, her passion for all things coastal does see her drawn to the outdoors.

“A favourite outdoor exhibiting avenue for me is on deserted beaches, like Long Gully at Nora Creina or West Beach at Robe, where flotsam and jetsam from the sea become instant art installations made from old rope, buoy and driftwood.”

Lisa’s exhibition runs until March 2.