Lynn Sisler, The Day You Were Born, mixed media on walnut board, 13" x 14"

Lynn Sisler has a BFA in painting and a minor in Art History from Northern Illinois University. She is also holds a certification in Art Education, grades K-12, and has taught art classes to all ages.

Lynn uses the beauty of found objects, including old wood and handmade paper, to add depth and beauty to her work. Fascinated by the effects of layering texture, patterns, and color, different mediums inspire her. When various mediums come together in her work, they compliment and enhance each other. Often she will layer paper with paint, charcoal, pen, and colored pencils, while keeping the natural qualities of the found objects.

Lynn's subject matter was initially influenced by the written works of Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Eating Animals and Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, in that both works gave a new perspective on how people view animals which are used for human consumption. In Lynn's more current work, she portrays animals with humanistic attributes, drawing on inspiration by American Folk Art portraits, scientific drawings, museum specimen collections, and Marc Chagall's use of animals in a symbolic and emotional way. In a variety of self-portraits, she explores personal transformation and growth, while displaying her own obsession with collections.

Each work is a narrative. The 'story' of the piece is told through multiple mediums and is influenced by the artist's experiences and reflections. When people look at her work, Lynn wants them to connect to it much like writing might, as a collection of artifacts and unspoken memoirs which powerfully speak through visual images.

www.lynnsisler.com

Thoughts on the Telephone process

When I found out that I was accepted as a contributor to Telephone, I was very intrigued by what the process and result would be like. I was sent a video of a poem entitled ‘The Day You Were Born’, and knew that my painting needed the same title. I listened to the poem several times, each time taking a little more in and connecting with the poem and its author. The initial interpretive piece I did was curiously not me, so I went back into the studio and did a second work that better said what I felt from my heart, that didn’t read as an assignment. The process made me realize that we have multiple ways of seeing the world, just as many as there are individuals, but we must be honest and genuine when we listen and then interpret the creative around us. I think this is why Telephone is so valuable, as it gives us an opportunity to see multiple, seemingly unlimited perspectives.