Lisa Imperiale

Critters in My Studio!

2012-01-23T19:20:00.002-07:00

Here is a special sneak peak into a project that I have recently started, inspired by my years in the Nanny biz and my still on the way nephew, Peter. I plan on making an entire alphabet of little animals. So far I have an E, R, S, and P.

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-02T11:27:00.004-07:00

I hope you had a really wonderful holiday, I sure did! While it was great to see family, exchange gifts, eat way too much food, and party with friends, I am looking forward to getting back into the studio and make some new prints.
My show at the Soup Kitchen Cafe will be coming down this week, thank you to everyone who made it out to see it. It was a very successful show. Now I will be getting ready to hang some work in the Moore Alumnae Show that will open in February.

Block Printed Holiday Ornaments

Overgrown, Mix Media on Paper

2011-12-06T13:33:00.001-07:00

Imperiale Prints is taking over the neighborhood this season with an ongoing exhibition at The Soup Kitchen Cafe and prints for sale all over the place!
The Soup Kitchen Cafe
2146 east Susquehanna Ave

The Random Tea Room is having a holiday print sale. Local printmakers will be selling framed and loose prints during the holiday season. Be sure to stop by for the opening party this Thursday, December 8th from 6pm - 10pm.
The Random Tea Room & Curiosity Shop
713 north 4th Street

Imperiale Prints will also be vending at the Greensgrow Holiday Bazaar Sunday, December 11th from 11am - 4pm. Come check out local handmade crafts in a fun, festive atmosphere. It's a great way to buy unique gifts from local artisans.
Greensgrow Farm
2501 east Cumberland Street
Stop by and say hello!

View of Sacre Coeur in Paris

2011-10-31T21:58:00.002-06:00

I was lucky enough to be in Paris for a week at the beginning of September. It is a very beautiful city. We stayed just north of the city in Montmartre. Perched up on a hill to the north of the city's center rises the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. At sunset from the Centre Pompidou the view is breath taking. That is where I sat and made a sketch for this print. It's now available at my Etsy shop. Enjoy!

Sacre Coeur, Reductive Woodblock print, 9'' x 12''

Woodblock in Repeat

2011-10-15T13:49:00.003-06:00

This new print was made from two blocks and is (individually) 12'' x 9'' but I thought it might be fun to see what it would look like in repeat. I am considering submitting it for the Moore Alumnae Exhibition. The exhibition, Materiality, will feature designs printed in repeat on fabric and paper.

Fresh Autumn Woodblock

2011-09-26T13:06:00.003-06:00

Autumn is a great time for printmaking. The studio is cool, the craziness of the summer has died down, and you're ready to get down to business in the studio. This print is the first in a series of black and white cityscapes that I will be working on this fall.

Untitled, Woodblock Print, 9" x 12''

Imperiale Prints in Swarthmore

2011-09-25T19:46:00.002-06:00

This Year I had a table at the Swarthmore Outdoor Craft Store. It was a great event for my debut for Imperiale Prints. The weather was cool, the crowd was steady, and there was a great group of vendors and many beautiful things. I sold original wood block prints, hand printed note cards, and coptic bound books with block printed covers. All of these are now available at my etsy store linked above :)

Coptic Bound Notebook with Block Printed Covers, $30 each

New woodcut in progress

2011-07-23T20:06:00.003-06:00

trenton avenue, reductive woodcut, 9'' x 12''

The Miss Rockaway Armada in Philadelphia

2011-07-20T20:39:00.001-06:00

This is some pretty exciting news so listen up!

The Miss Rockaway Armada is a group of artists that come together from near and far to build "floatillas", floating sculptures made from urban debris, and repurposed architectural/ industrial/ mechanical materials. The artists are builders, sculptors, printmakers, performers, musicians all living and working together to promote new ways of thinking about materials, habitats, community, and travel.

It's kind of hard to describe, you really need to see them in action. And you will have a chance to in the upcoming months. Sponsored by the Pew Foundation and Hosted by the Philadelphia Art Alliance, the Armada is taking over Philadelphia with a fleet of floatillas, parades, marching bands, all sorts of shenanigans, and a huge exhibition at the Art Alliance.

Want to see the construction in progress?

Visit the build site anytime to take a look! 313 S. Broad Street

Want to join the Armada in a parade with your own souped up bike? all foot and pedal powered "floats" are welcome to join!

September 3rd: West Philly Broad & Spruce to Clark Park

September 10th: Kensington Little Berlin to Flux Space

Please contact: parade@philartalliance.org

Want to play in the Armada Marching Band?

Please contact: band@philartalliance.org

More Information & Pictures

I will be posting photographs and sneak peeks as an insider at the Art Alliance this summer, so please stay tuned!

Spring Studio Update

2011-05-25T14:15:00.005-06:00

I've been a busy bee making prints, books, and note cards. Spring has, like it always does, inspired new projects and the weather makes working in the shop a dream. Check my new series of etchings with chine colle. They will be available along with new woodblock printed books and note cards in my etsy shop.

Wall Writing & The Neighborhood

2011-05-04T22:05:00.000-06:00

Installed at A Full Plate Cafe

Art at A Full Plate Cafe

2011-04-05T13:44:00.004-06:00

A Full Plate Cafe is a great little eatery located in The Liberties Walk. They have fresh and delicious foods as well as creative and funky atmosphere. They will be featuring yours truly for the month of April. Installed works will include Wall Writing, an installation in cut paper, colorful painted panels, and framed woodcut prints. Businesses in the Liberties Walk have been trying to start a 2nd Thursday arts stroll. Please stop by and see the show!!

Show Dates: April 14th - May 10th

A Full Plate Cafe

1009 N Bodine Street

Philadelphia, PA 19123

Trenton Ave Arts Fest

2011-03-30T16:45:00.002-06:00

I will be selling prints along side my fellow BYO Print members at this year's Trenton Avenue Arts Festival. Be sure to check it out! Aside from selling prints the members of BYO Print will be pulling prints and having print demonstrations on our small workhorse press, Connie, all day long.

There will be lots of art, food, music and a kinetic sculpture derby! Come on out and join the fun!

May 21st, 12 - 5 pm

trentonaveartsfest.blogspot.com

2011-02-23T12:16:00.001-07:00

"Neighborhood" mix media on cut paper, installed at Leotah's Place

First Friday Opening at Leotah's Place

2011-02-03T11:24:00.002-07:00

Leotah's Place is not your average neighborhood coffee shop. Leotah's is dedicated to strengthening the community by providing a venue for the sharing of art, music, poetry, fellowship and refreshments. It's atmosphere is warm, friendly, and eclectic. You'll love it!

That is why I am having an exhibition there! Featuring recent work that reflect our shared neighborhood.

Leotah's Place Coffeehouse

Friday, February 4th 2011

6:30 - 9:00 pm

Please join me for refreshments and artistic dialog.

The show will be up through the end of February, so if you're in the neighborhood stop by and check out Leotah's!!

Sneak Peak from the Studio

2011-01-22T21:15:00.003-07:00

19'' x 26'' water media on paper

This is the first of what I hope will become a series of "obstruction paintings"

Featured Artist at The Square Peg Artery

2010-12-21T20:21:00.002-07:00

I will be the Featured Artist for the month of January at the Square Peg Artery & Salvage, a darling little store off of Rittenhouse that sells beautiful handmade things. This is a great opportunity to buy one of my prints, drawings, or paintings because not only will it thrill me, it will support a unique local business that in turn supports local artists.

Opening Reception Saturday, January 8th, 2011

5:00 - 7:00 pm

The Square Peg Artery & Salvage

108 South 20th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Hope to see you there!!!

New Direction

2010-12-08T20:26:00.002-07:00

Untitled, acrylic and marker on cut paper

I took my little cut out Fishtown neighborhood in a completely different direction and I think I like it. I wanted something a little sharper, cleaner, using simply color and directional lines to morph space. This is a work in progress and I am very excited to see what happens.

"See- Change" Trade Print

2010-11-06T14:15:00.004-06:00

I made this woodcut for the Printmaking Council of New Jersey's annual trade print.

"Time Lapse"

8'' x 10'' two layer additive woodcut

Studio Update

2010-11-04T11:01:00.005-06:00

I have spent the last month working on a new "neighborhood series" It felt right since I have recently moved into a house in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia. Though I'm not far off from my old place, my new neighborhood has a unique sense of architecture, organization, and community. Fishtown is like a small urban island, a triangle separated from the rest of the city by the Delaware River and Frankford Ave. Historically it was a neighborhood built on a series of canals which explains the wacky streets that dead end, change direction, and twist. Yes, I am officially off the grid.

mix media on cut paper

detail

Postcard & One Page Book

2010-09-14T12:32:00.008-06:00

New from BYO Print:

Two layer woodcut, 6.5'' x 9''

Makes a great house warming gift, mail it to a friend, or hang it on your wall with Philly pride!

Sneak a Peek at my one page book, Quest.

Both of these items will be available for sale at Little Berlin's BYOTY

September 26th, noon - 6pm, 119 W Montgomery Street, Philadelphia PA 19122

Don't miss out on the fun!

Attn: Printers Without Presses

2010-08-31T20:45:00.003-06:00

OPEN HOUSE!

Calling all PRINTERS without PRESSES

Visit us on First Friday, September 3rd, 2010 from 7-10pm to see what BYO can do for you. We have some awesome recent acquisitions that just made printing here a lot more...more! Rent is cheap, so is our hourly rate, and space is ample. Join the club!

2212 Sepviva Street, North Loft (come in through the garage doors, head straight back and up the stairs)

Wall Paper Design

2010-08-07T20:20:00.003-06:00

More home design on my mind. Lately my work has been focusing a lot on color and design, so what better than to try hand at designing a wallpaper? This is just a mock up. I would like to eventually make a repeat in full watercolor, maybe scan it into the computer and have it printed. My ultimate goal in this project is to get my wallpaper printed and cover a room with it! Any suggestions? Feedback is greatly appreciated.

Paintings for Home Decor

2010-07-10T12:40:00.001-06:00

I have spent the last few weeks working on a series of small panels. My intention was to create something bright and delightful for home decoration. Add a little color into your life with one of these 5 x 7 mini paintings, or have fun arranging multiple panels together.

$20 each or 3 for $50

First Friday June Events

2010-06-03T16:09:00.000-06:00

6/4/10

I will be out and about and you should too! There is lots to do and see! Here is what I'm involved with for this friday's festivities:

Sedso Design hosts "Place Your Art Here" a challenge that over 50 philly artists participated in this month.

1050 N. Hancock Street, Space 75
(The Piazza)

Opening reception 7:00 - 10:00 pm

B.Y.O Studio will open its doors to the public for an evening of printmaking. Come meet the members, talk shop, learn about printmaking, hang out in the loft of a Vintage Motorcycle Shop. I will be there selling prints and small drawings :)

2224 Sepviva

(Frankford Ave between Dauphin and York)

7:00 - 11:00 pm

Variations on a Theme

2010-05-27T07:07:00.000-06:00

I am participating in this month's "Place Your Art Here" for Sedso Design in Northern Liberties. The challenge was to create 10 works utilizing a stencil on provided 11 x 14 boards.

I chose to make 10 variations using the same 4 stencils and 3 materials; acrylic in two colors, marker, color pencil. I found this to be a great exercize in manipulation of space.

Opening Reception June 4th, 7pm - 11pm
Sedso Design Group Space 75 @ the Piazza
1050 N. Hancock Street Philadelphia, PA

Studio Update

2010-04-28T13:33:00.000-06:00

I've been pretty busy in the studio working on some new projects. I printed my first edition at BYO Studio this week. It is a small reductive woodcut, 9'' x 6'', four layers. I have plans to make another small woodcut before moving on to something larger and more complicated; hopefully a combination reductive/additive. It feels great to be printing again!

I am also working on some small color studies using overlapping forms in acrylic on paper. I'm interested in the negative space and vibrating edges from the high chroma color.

Blast from the past! In addition to my new projects I have been trying to clean and organize the studio. Not much success in the cleaning department... but my distractions have lead me to work back into several old paintings. It has been both refreshing and informative to go back into these half finished pieces with fresh insight and sharper skills.

Stay tuned! I will be having an epic studio sale this summer!

Hooray for Printmaking!

2010-04-09T13:16:00.000-06:00

I have recently joined a shared printmaking studio. It is called BYO - Studio and it is located in Fishtown amongst the young and thriving art scene on Frankfurt Avenue. To visit the BYO blog click here. Like the name entails, this is a shared space for people who would like print. Bring your own matrix, ink, paper and use the shop's press. I have become a member which gives me access to the shop and an online calendar to schedule private press time. The shop also accommodates guest printers for individual print projects.

In March I attended The Southern Graphic Council's annual conference in conjunction with Philagrafika. I attended printmaking demonstrations and lectures, participated in an Open Portfolio, and met printmakers from all over the country. It was amazing! and now I'm pumped and ready to get into the shop and make some prints!

I'll be spending the summer working on a series of small woodcuts. I plan to post my progress regularly, so stay tuned.

Graffiti

2010-04-05T11:45:00.000-06:00

For the past three weeks I have been playing with this new idea in the studio. The gray forms are based on tags in my neighborhood along my daily commute, on vacant buildings, crumbling brick walls, old factories. As I get to know my new neighborhood I grow accustom to the graffiti. It is as unique as handwriting. New forms arrive, they build up on each other, begin to over lap.

I made these gray forms, one every day for a few weeks, and pinned them to my studio wall. I have an idea to continue photographing them in the style of a stop animation film. This is the first attempt, but I'll keep you updated with any new developments in the project.

2010-03-10T19:10:00.000-07:00

“Neighborhoods + Foreign Language”

A series of paintings + drawings in exploration

of the urban landscape

On View March 17^th – April 30^th 2010

The Art Shop at Moore

20^th & The Parkway Philadelphia, PA

Opening Reception Thursday, April 8^th

6-8pm

Studio Update

2010-02-20T14:49:00.000-07:00

Neighborhood Series (work in progress)

watercolor, acrylic, marker on cut paper

43'' x 55''

Pattern 1

Acrylic on paper

22'' x 30''

Etsy Shop

2010-02-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

It's official! I am now a proud owner of an Etsy Shop!

The store will feature small works on paper such as my graffiti pins made from cut out monoprints. I am also working on a series of small mix media drawings, Variations on the Grid, to add to the store.

You can see my store here.

Variations on the Grid No. 2 Graffiti Pin

Hourly Comic Day 2010

2010-02-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

This year I participated in Hourly Comic Day. I'm not an illustrator, I don't tend to draw from real life, but I love reading comics and graphic novels. Thus, I gave it a try! It was a really good exercise in drawing and challenged me to come up with a new idea every hour. It's also fun to peek into the lives of other artists. Check it out!

Installation at Square Peg

2009-12-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

"Untitled but somewhere in the desert"
watercolor, graphite, marker on cut paper

"Foreign Language"
monotype, watercolor, acrylic, marker on cut papers

The "Square Peg Artery" features Lisa Imperiale

2009-11-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

Opening Reception:

Saturday, December 5th, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Square Peg Artery & Salvage

108 South 20th Street Philadelphia PA 19103

Stop by and see what I've been up to. My work will be up through December.

2009-11-19T21:29:00.001-07:00

"new neighborhood"

mix media on paper

study #1

study #2

Studio Fall 2009

2009-09-30T21:02:00.000-06:00

Summer in the City

2009-07-15T07:34:00.000-06:00

So here's what's new:

1. I graduated magna cum laude from Moore College of Art

2. I back packed through Europe with my 3 best friends and fellow artists.

3. Came back to Philadelphia to work, find a home, set up a studio, and paint.

4. I'm working on a series of small watercolors (because my apartment is so small) that seem to discuss my international travels and return to my neighborhood.

5. I'm looking for gallery space to show.

6. I will be consigning with The Square Peg Artery & Salvage (108 S. 20th Street) and will have a little show it The Bare Bulb gallery there this December.

7. In two weeks I'm moving to Fishtown where I'll have a real house, a big sunny studio, and a backyard to play in.

8. Looking for work, looking for space to show my work, looking for opportunities to collaborate with other artists.

Thesis Exhibition: Emerging Artists & Designers 2009

2009-05-05T22:20:00.000-06:00

New Prints

2009-04-24T15:15:00.001-06:00

Untitled

Lithograph (VE one of a kind)

18'' x 31''

$80.00

"Sojourn"

Woodcut (Artist Proof)

12'' x 15''

$50.00

"Somewhere in between"

Lithograph (edition of 5)

12'' x 19.5''

$50.00

New Paintings

2009-04-24T15:03:00.001-06:00

Untitled

Watercolor, colored pencil on cut paper, mounted on blue paste paper.

12.5'' x 14''

$50.00

Untitled

Acrylic and marker on paper

21'' x 35.5''

$85.00

work in progress

Watercolor and acrylic on paper

31'' x 59''

Important and Upcoming!

2009-04-15T21:12:00.000-06:00

April 22nd

Opening Night for Emerging Artists and Designers

Senior Thesis Exhibition

The show is open to the public April 23rd - May 16th M-F 11am - 7pm & Sat. 11am - 5pm.

May 16th

Closing Reception for Families and Friends

1pm - 3pm

May 17th

Graduation!!!

May 20th

Depart for three weeks of railing through Europe.

Making stops in Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Geneva, Rome, and Milan

Current Work

2009-03-04T19:52:00.000-07:00

Untitled

Watercolor, acrylic, marker on cut papers

January 2009

Untitled As Of Yet

Watercolor, ink, acrylic, marker on paper

February 2009

Purpose

2009-02-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Lisa Imperiale. I am an artist currently living and working in Philadelphia. I will earn my BFA in painting and printmaking from Moore College of Art and Design in May 2009.

Through painting and drawing I discuss a series of contrasting visual relationships; expansiveness and density; random and particular; natural and man-made, broad and intricate; positive and negative space.

I am interested in history and entropy; the inevitable cycle of falling apart and desperate rebuilding.

I would like to use this blog to post images of my work, network with other artists and art lovers, and provide information about my work and career.