Interview with Lisa Ficarelli Halpern

Lisa Ficarelli-Halpern (B. 1959 New York City) is an award-winning American figurative artist living and working within the New York metropolitan area. Her paintings are informed by a love of art history and contemporary culture of technology and fashion. Her work has been widely shown in galleries and museums, including the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art in Wisconsin, the Zhou B. Art Center in Chicago, and the Noyes Museum, the Monmouth Museum, and the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey. She has been featured in Fine Art Connoisseur, Poets and Artists, FreshPaint and Studio Visit Magazines. Lisa received her BFA from Parsons The School for Design and her MFA from New Jersey City University. She is currently on the faculty as an adjunct professor at New Jersey City University, teaching illustration and color theory.

Q&A

What concept or narrative is behind your work?

My work is based on humankind’s interaction and attachment to different objects or material. Sometimes the artwork comes through in humorous ways, sometimes in rather melancholy ways. I believe as living beings, we’re bound to certain tangible objects and material from the time we’re born. It begins when we are fed as infants by a human breast; we are comforted and nurtured by this living organism. It’s an ‘object,’ something we can touch, and we receive the nutrients that sustain help us to go forward and grow. I think that we never really lose this desire of something external helping us along in a positive way. We find replacements for the breast and might become very attached to a teddy bear or blanket. As we grow older, we substitute that teddy bear for something else, like a token or an accessory that may hold some nostalgic or emotional significance connecting to someone or something else. I also think that part of what happens as adults is we begin to surround ourselves with objects that define and describe our identity to others. It can be a spontaneous occurrence, but it is sometimes a carefully orchestrated act, as we surround ourselves with different material in the hope that we will be accepted and legitimized by an external force or other people. My work tends to be based around still life, although I do paint portraits and figures. This notion of projecting our identity using external objects or material is really not a new idea at all and is based upon the Flemish materialistic considerations of the 1600s. My work is very steeped in art history, although it’s not always apparent through my paintings.

How true are you to your artist statement?

I’m pretty true to my artist statement because I hope to bond with my viewers and have them share my concerns and observations, even if it’s only for the short time they are looking at the artwork. Of course, everyone always brings their own history and experience to what they see, so there is always room for a variety of interpretation. 

Do you ever venture out of your creative process to try out new things?

I’ve recently ventured out of my comfort zone of “pure” painting to start experimenting with three-dimensional embellishments for two-dimensional work. I have a background in textile design from my undergraduate years at Parsons School of Design, and through my corporate design work with Polo Ralph Lauren’s Home Collection.

I am intrigued by decorative ribbon placed behind portraits in the Regency era during the early 1800s. Movies like Autumn de Wilde’s Emma have influenced my work. Consequently, my 2020 solo show at Art House Productions Gallery in Jersey City, NJ featured these new ventures. Some of the paintings and drawings in this show were installed with decorative ribbon behind them as architectural embellishment. The reaction to this type of presentation has been extremely positive from collectors and viewers.

Which was your breakthrough piece? Tell us more about it?

I think I have had several breakthrough pieces throughout the years. Hand of Goddess (2018) was definitely a breakthrough painting because I feel I achieved my technical best at capturing human skin. Another breakthrough piece in a different genre is Grand Peony Corsage (2019). This larger scale still life painting is based on my theme of estate jewelry and the emotional connection we feel to lost loved ones through the objects they leave behind. In this painting, I believe I successfully evoked the feeling of melancholy surrounding an object of emotional attachment. This work also connects to this experience in a much more subtle manner and transcends traditional still life genre by engaging the viewer in a more active reflection upon similar memories in their own life. I am actively exploring and expanding this theme as a series titled, “Corsage,” and some pieces are available through Artsy with 33 Contemporary Gallery in Chicago.

What turns has your career taken?

Before focusing on creating my own artwork full-time, I had a career as a home collection designer with Ralph Lauren. I began as a design assistant painting textile designs and ended up being senior design director of the division. I am very grateful for my corporate experience because it helped me envision objects from concept to presentation. It also helped me understand the value of placing an idea within a logical environment to engage viewers. I retired from corporate design in 1992 after the birth of my first child, and it wasn’t until I returned to school for my MFA in 2006 that I really was able to concentrate on painting as I always wished to pursue. Today, my time is divided between my professional studio practice and the classroom, since my MFA degree has afforded me the opportunity to mentor and teach aspiring artists.