| Lizanne van Essen - Artist's Statement |
| I was born in Karachi but have lived in East Anglia for most of my life. After an Oxford MA in History I did a PGCE at Warwick University, and later gained a City and Guilds qualification in Creative Embroidery. I have worked as a teacher, secretary and CAB advisor, while designing, making and selling textiles. More recently I graduated from the University of Hertfordshire with a degree in Art and Design, and have had a variety of solo and group exhibitions in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. My work is intended to be "images to delight the eye and provoke thought", and comprises a variety of media including collage, paint, textiles, printmaking and book art. The images are sometimes representational, sometimes abstracted, and emphasize line, form and colour. They are inspired by a wide range of sources. The sculptural books evolved from a delight in pure form, with the play of light creating shadows and volume. I was also excited by the combination of delicate detail and strength, and of simplicity and complexity - also by the surprise element created when the flat book covers opened to reveal thrusting sculptural forms. Sometimes I like to combine images and words and colour, fracturing them with cuts, but at other times I like to emphasize the geometry and symmetry of abstract sculpture. |