The living art of ceramics
- Lisa works primarily in hand built porcelain, combining painting, carving and installation
- Her practice is inspired by the interconnectedness of all life
- She develops installations through adaptive studio planning and problem-solving
Lisa Creskey began her career as a painter, drawn to traditional techniques such as egg tempera and fresco. Clay became her primary medium in 2010 when she started hand building in porcelain, using it as a durable surface for carved and painted imagery. Living on a rugged property bordering Gatineau Park, Lisa observes wildlife closely, and in particular the interdependence between beings. “I believe that craft shares a DNA with human beings and all life,” she says. Lisa’s large ceramic installations expand these observations at scale, often incorporating multiple materials and inviting close, sometimes tactile, engagement from the viewer.
Interview
- What role does your environment play in your craft?
- I live on a wild property bordering Gatineau Park, where animals pass by daily. I observe them closely and try to bring their life conditions into the work, a kind of lived presence within the material.
- When did you discover a love of ceramics?
- My mother is a ceramicist so clay has always been present in my life. I came to ceramics fully around 2010. After working as a painter and raising my children, it offered a way to work from home while keeping a strong physical and painterly engagement with materials.
- How do you approach large-scale installations as a small studio?
- The studio is constantly reconfigured around each stage of work. I also work outdoors when possible. Installation requires planning, but it also builds itself through sustained engagement and problem-solving as the installation grows.
- Does your background as a painter influence your practice?
- Porcelain functions as my canvas. I paint into the surface rather than on top of it, carving and applying colour simultaneously. Creativity does not belong exclusively to art, it originates in craft, and I try to honour that in my practice.
Lisa Creskey is a master artisan: she began her career in 2010 and she started teaching in 2019
Where
Lisa Creskey
