We were lucky to catch up with Lisa Matrundola recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lisa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

As young adults, my parents immigrated independently from England and Italy. Neither attended college, but they valued education and encouraged me and my four siblings to obtain our various degrees. Not because they wanted us to pursue a specific profession that promised a large paycheck, but because they valued the pursuit of happiness.

From an early age, I excelled at most artistic endeavors and when it came to choosing a career, I told my parents I wanted to be a professional artist. I am not sure if their encouragement was due to naiveté or they actually thought I could make a living as a painter? Either way, I was thrilled that they didn’t think I was crazy.

I ended up earning a BFA in graphic design, which served me well for many years. But as my own children grew, the idea of pursuing a career in fine art kept gnawing at me . Once again, my parents, rallied around me as a began my MFA in painting. My parents are in their late eighties and have attended every opening I have ever had. They never ask me how much money I make, but rather, seem completely thrilled to be part of my dream to be a professional artist.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been creating art and artistic environments for as long as I can remember. I attended the University of Georgia, where I earned a BFA in Graphic Design. I worked professionally as a graphic designer and illustrator while also renovating houses in mid-town Atlanta. After my first child was born, I left my position as an art director and began a specialty cake company. Over the next 17 years, I took care of my children, managed several rental properties and made one of a kind wedding and party cakes. As my children grew to young adulthood, I returned to school to earn my MFA in Painting at the Savannah College of Art & Design. I am now a full-time artists working in oil, mixed-media and sculpture, while also teaching as an adjunct professor at SCAD in their Foundations and Illustration Departments.

As an emerging artist, I am focused on building my audience through social media, gallery exhibits, competitions, and residencies. I attended my first artist’s residency in the fall of 2022 in Skopelos, Greece. It was an intense exploration of how myth and ancient stories affect our modern social constructs. I had my first solo show at The Quinlan Visual Arts Center in Gainesville, GA last spring, where I had the opportunity to create an installation piece titled, “Infections of Mythology.” I also displayed approximately twenty oil paintings and mixed-media pieces.

I am in constant pursuit of learning and in January I began apprenticing with renowned sculptor, Basil Watson. Under his supervision, I am studying the processes for building, molding, and casting bronze sculptures. I hope to have some pieces of my own complete in the next few months.

I am proud of my now adult children and how we have all managed to face adversity with creative wherewithal to achieve things that go beyond ourselves. I hope to lift people up through seeing beauty in the darkest places.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I was twenty three, my oldest sister committed suicide. It was a very hard blow to our family, but my parents modeled resilience, and we followed suite. Fast forward to my early 30’s, when I was a stay at home mom with two small children. My husband began abusing prescription drugs and alcohol which lead to panic attacks, depression, and manic behavior. Despite years of counseling and treatment, when my children were six and nine, my husband chose to end his life.

In my experience, suicide is the end result of a long and very difficult fight. Much like a cancer patient, some people get treatment and get better, but some, despite the best medical care, don’t. I do not judge my sister or my first husband for their final actions, I honestly don’t know how much control they ultimately had in those final moments. I do know that I am here and my time on this earth is limited.

God has possessed me with the desire to create and speak truths about the world we live in. One of the most influential books that I have read in the last few years, is “Women Who Run With Wolves,” by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. I always knew that I was a survivor of sorts. This book not only allowed me to acknowledge my survival, but it taught me to celebrate my most brutal instincts without shame.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

During one of the breaks between fall and winter quarter of grad school, I attended a portrait sculpture workshop taught by a local artist, Kevin Chambers. I soon realized Kevin’s studio was just down the road from my home and on Wednesday evenings he hosted a figure drawing group followed by a pot luck dinner. I began attending the drawing sessions and the dinners that ensued afterwards and found a community of artists focused on figurative work that I did not even know existed.

Years ago, I was on a cycling team. I was the most inexperienced and needed a lot of help getting up hills. The other cyclists would surround me to block the wind, some of them would even grab the back of my saddle and give me a little push. The figure drawing group feels much the same. We inquire about each others work and encourage each other if our drawing or something else isn’t going so great. I have a back stage pass to some of the most talented figurative artists working in Atlanta and I feel blessed beyond words.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.LisaMatrundola.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisamatrundolaart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisamatrundola525
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-matrundola