Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Ocampo.
Hi Lisa, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Honestly, I was born into my art life. My dad is an artist and my mom was a crafter/sewer and both of their parents were either artists or craftsmen. Everything from the houses we lived in, to the gardens, and woodshops were custom designed and/or built and decorated with handcrafted things.
Most things came from simple items but are creatively and meticulously made. Downtime consisted of sitting at the kitchen table coloring or drawing while my dad painted or carved on a block of wood. It is still like that when I visit home.
The last time me and my siblings, who are very talented artists in their own right, were at our dad’s house together and he made everyone, including spouses, color a page in a coloring book and sign them before we could head out for dinner. We always have projects, many projects, going on and enjoy sharing over the phone.
Our family joke is when we ask one another what they are working on, the answer is always “a masterpiece of course!”
My professional art career started in the 90s building and painting small wood crafts and furniture and selling my wares at art fairs throughout North Georgia and Tennessee. I moved to Savannah in the early 2000s and entered a few oil paintings in the annual art show put on by the local museum and at the end of the show, a local gallery owner had left their card and a note on one of my pieces that said they would like for me to do a solo show at their gallery.
I was so excited and have been doing them ever since.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I am going to say it has been smooth sailing for the most part as far as my art life goes.
I work a full-time job at the Telfair Museums where I am involved daily with art and artists and our community. My own art is for fun and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It does provide a nice second income but I refuse to be stressed over art. It is my meditation time and if something starts feeling overwhelming then it’s not for me.
Life gives me enough of that and I use my art as an escape. I will say there has been stress due to an exhibition deadline many times but that comes from me taking my own sweet time with it all.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I play in lots of different mediums-stained glass, quilting, assemblages, sculpting, drawing, writing, and on and on. The creative process and learning new skills are exciting to me. Oil painting is my medium of choice and that is what people would normally recognize me for. I call my style of painting- Pop Surreal/Southern Gothic/Narrative.
My favorite subject matter is characters doing something or in a situation that is not quite normal, a bit askew. I’ve always struggled with describing my own art but it has been described by others as if Lewis Carroll and Edgar Allen Poe were the same person and were painters instead of authors. Someone also wrote that when standing in front of one of my pieces they felt like they had just opened up a new storybook to a random page. They knew something was happening but they didn’t know what came before or after the scene they were looking at but wanted to read the entire book.
I thought it was a fantastic description but I am not sure it’s all that deserving. To be put into the same sentence with two of my favorite writers was more than I could ever wish for. I am most proud of a children’s book that I wrote and illustrated titled ‘The Cardboard Sisters Save the World’. It came to me out of the blue. I jotted it down and did the drawings. Sent it to a publisher and it was published. It is about recycling, reusing, and taking care of our Mother Earth as a community.
The proud part was when I learned that some schools were using it to teach children the importance of being green. I felt that I may have made a small difference somehow.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Wow, what a timely question. I am in the middle of some risky business right now.
I took a lot of risks and leaps of faith throughout my life. I am a firm believer in the butterfly effect so I know every turn changes the outcome of my future from minute to the minute which makes life so exciting. I have always lived by acknowledging signs and symbols that the universe sends me. Although I still rely on those signs, I am a bit older and wiser these days (maybe) so when it comes to risk-taking now, I have a formula. I think of all the outcomes good, bad, and in between.
If I can accept all of those endings and still be okay physically, mentally, and emotionally… let’s throw in monetarily also, then I jump right in and do my best! If I can’t accept the worst-case scenario then that adventure is not for me. I think as long as common sense is part of my scenario I’ll be alright. What can you gain from not taking risks?
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: lisaocampo.com
- Instagram: @lisaocampo26
