Lisa Falzon

digital artist, illustrator, writer, painter, headwear designer, creative

spirit

Let me introduce you to one of my favorite digital artists, Lisa Falzon.

While browsing on Etsy, I first discovered her when I came across this piece titled, “The Peckish Moon.”

I was immediately attracted to the fantasy type of style seen in most of her work, and I love the way the she was able to make the moon look realistic, yet whimsical at the same time.

After exploring her Etsy shop, I saw that much of her work tells a story, and she creates scenes from some of her favorite historical characters, like the work below titled,

‘”Madame Pompadour”. Legend has it that King Louis of France had his champagne glasses modeled after her breasts.

I love this interpretation of Dorian Gray. This is exactly how I would imagine him to look! Her use of colors and layering give the picture a velvet like texture, and make the piece resemble a Renaissance style painting. She beautifully captured a sense of smugness

and arrogance conveyed by his facial expression and posture.

Lisa is truly a creative soul. Born and raised in Malta, a small Mediterranean island, and now living in Ireland, she is completely self taught, and has been creating art since she was very young. Her prolific imagination is evident in all of her works, and she is continually trying new things. She began as a painter and sold well in galleries, where, she says, people mostly bought 'originals' because they constituted a status symbol. There's no such pretension with digital art – Lisa says, “the lack of an 'original' has made a lot of my old buyers snub my digital work. It's very hard for old art connoisseurs to accept the validity of digital art as fine art, especially in Europe. This way by selling prints I no longer have to go through the charade of gallery openings and reach a broader, more genuinely-interested market who is more about the artwork and what it represents rather than its material worth.” I respect this viewpoint, and am pleased to have access to her artwork.

Lisa’s favorite artist is Balthus, a twentieth century classical French artist who created work that was often disturbing and controversial. He is known for his paintings of naked pre-

pubescent girls in sexually implied situations. In some of his pieces like “The Street” seen on the left below, a surrealist influence is apparent. One can see a struggle happening with a girl and man, while the surrounding public is focused on their daily tasks. His influence on Lisa’s art is obvious. Many of her works are dark and surrealistic. The digital painting/collage on the right titled “Jumping Jack Me” is one of her darker pieces that also reflects a surrealistic style. The Alice in Wonderland type girl with the beautiful lace skirt and tights is juxtaposed with

the devious expression on her face, the dark background suggesting she is in a hidden place, the naked doll, and the emotions of power and disdain portrayed by her position on the globe.

Inspiration for her work comes in many ways, but mostly she starts with an emotion she wants to portray, and then uses inspiration from many sources such as low brow art, fashion, nature, and art history. She loves the “no mess” factor of digital art, and uses as many as 90 or more layers in a piece. Much of her work conveys feminist ideas, cuteness, nostalgia, and identity

struggle. One of my favorites is “Napoleon and Josephine”, an example of a portrayal of feminism in that Josephine has Napoleon literally wrapped around her little finger. I admire the way the artist has mastered the technique of removing “smoothness” from digital art and adds a bit of grittiness that makes it more interesting such as the apparent texture of the fabric and

fur.

Some examples of her more recent work display her mastery of the use of collage techniques and fairy tale ambiance. The exquisite detail and use of color draw immediate appeal, and bring the story and emotion to life.

Lisa has other outlets for expressing her creativity. One that she shares with Balthus is fashion design. Balthus designed theater costumes, and Lisa has created a line of headwear which she describes as “over-the-top fascinators and headpieces for theatre, photo shoot and bridal wear.”

She has also written and illustrated a book in her native language and writes poetry.

Lisa Falzon is a young artist with a passion and dedication for creative expression and a belief that art should be accessible to everyone. I am impressed with her talent, and am looking forward to seeing all forms of her future works.