Discuss the importance of natural patterns in your work?

I’m blown away by the total beauty of nature: incredible patterns, symmetry, colour, geometry and texture. I love the detail.

 Chameleon

How has your experience in animation lead to your current paper art?

I was exposed to lots of different materials while working in animation: fabric, plasticine, wood etc, but I found paper the most pleasing to work with. I love the tactile quality of paper and the vibrant colours and textures you can find. It feels very simple, you don’t need a lot of tools or expensive equipment to make something.

I was asked to create all the food out of paper to make it eye catching- something out of the ordinary for people to engage with. People are really used to seeing food in this way, but it makes them do a double take to see it made in paper.

 Avocado a Day

Can you expand on your commission with the British Heart Foundation?

          Size of the commission:

The final image was used in a printed magazine – the double page spread was around A3 dimensions.

          Size of the actual work:

All laid out together the food covered an area of approx 60cm x 40cm

          Lead time for you the artist:

I had about 3 weeks to make it from concept / sketching stage to shooting and art working. I take all the shots myself and do the art working in Photoshop for delivery.

          The importance of sending out a good message:

I’m always really happy when I get the chance to work on something positive, especially when it’s a challenge like this one. I love the idea that I can make people feel something, I think that’s why my work is colourful – I think it’s to make myself feel happy!

Discuss fashion and your work particularly ‘Neon Flowers’.

Moon Flowers

I love the excitement of fashion – it feels totally free. Dramatic, soft, sculptural, hard, textural – just like nature. I think that’s why I love the idea of combining the two worlds. So many fashion designers are inspired by nature, so it’s fun to continue the circle back to nature but with a little paper twist.
Neon flowers was a personal project in which I wanted to deconstuct the flowers into geometric shapes. Mix up 2D vector elements and have a play, I wanted it to feel vibrant and alive.

Can you expand on the physical sizes of your work?

I can work on really tiny intricate pieces and really big sculptures.

Take 2 works one small and one large.  Discuss the techniques of both plus the advantages and disadvantages.

Large: I once made a 2 meter high bottle of Asahi.

It needed to be transported around a lot, so I needed to make the basic structure of the bottle in wood. I then needed to pattern cut foam board to create the curves of the bottle. This was then followed by sticking hundreds of pieces of paper to create the texture. I needed help from my lovely studio buddy Tabitha to get them all stuck in time, she also helped to laser cut the intricate label graphics. All these things took more time than usual as we needed to climb up and down a step ladder all the time, for measuring, testing, sticking etc. It also took more time when you realised you’d forgotten the glue or scissors at the top and would need to go back down again!

Small: Making tiny things is tricky because you’re dealing with fiddly bits of paper, so you need to use tweezers and be very careful with the glue.

It can get very messy very quickly if you’re not concentrating.

The benefit of working on smaller projects is you need less materials and a smaller workspace – you also don’t need to keep going up and down a stepladder!

Discuss your Limited Edition work.

I love the immediacy of computer based work and it can be done anywhere – but these days I do really love being off the computer and working with my hands. I still think my graphic design experience informs my design choices when I’m working with paper. I love it when my work feels graphic – I want it to have a bit of impact.

I had a few people get in touch asking about prints when the bluetit image was in a competiton for 5 waitrose readers to win one – I thought why not set up a store!
I decided to limited edition runs of 50 which are signed and dated.

Discuss the type of paper you use for your 3D work?

I use normal paper weights and card – really I’m drawn by the colours and textures.

You share a studio with other artists, how does this help or influence your artistic momentum?

When I worked on the Asahi bottle, the studio owner ‘Hend’ let me use his space to build the bottle. The guys in the workshop ‘Workhaus furniture’ helped me make and design the wooden structure. Anna Pugh a fabulous bag designer showed me how to pattern cut to make the bottle curves and Tabitha Bargh an amazing lampshade designer helped me create the bottle and laser cut the paper tabs and label graphics. All these people are specialists in their field and they all helped me to get the bottle made- I learned so much and it was totally inspiring.

I also share my studio space with a fine artist called Chris Kettle. It’s really inspiring watching him work, choosing his colours and working the paint. I feel really lucky!

Take one of your current works and discuss…

I’m currently working on a collaborative project between the Paper Artists Collective (that I’m member of) and Langley’s gin. We’ve all been asked to make gin related pieces of work in our own style.

I’m creating an exploding paper cocktail from a paper cocktail shaker.

I’ll be creating it using a mixture of 3D and 2D paper elements, I’m hoping to have lots of texture and colour.

Size: – approx 50cm x 40cm

Why this work has excited you?

It’s fun, colourful and I like cocktails!

Contact details:

Lisa Lloyd

website: www.lisalloyd.net

email: lisa@lisalloyd.net

Lisa Lloyd, Hove, UK

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, June 2018