Artist Statement


Creative Process:
The inspiration for my work stems from the city that I call home and my connection to its familiar spaces and forms. It is a city rooted in an industrial past with an ever changing shape as it grows, contracts, over flows and builds upon itself over time. I use observation from various vantage points, from my daily life and imagery collected from the repetition of routine and urban treks. Drawing from memory I assemble layers of architectural information, blending together familiar spaces and textures, overlapping buildings and neighborhoods and crafting imaginary structures.  

I find the challenges involved in printmaking often push my drawing to develop more interesting spatial relationships, textures, patterns and rhythms. The wood grain typical of block printing adds a softness to the rigid and hard edges of an architectural landscape. Different stages of sketching, tracing, carving, and printing all help further develop the image past its initial conception. Through each printed layers I introduce over-arching patterns and fields of color. This creates a sense of excitement and drama to my prints that is felt rather than seen in daily city life. 

Bio:

Lisa Imperiale is a graduate of Moore College of Art and Design and a founding member of BYO Print, a cooperative printmaking studio. She is a long time resident of Philadelphia where she is actively involved within her neighborhood and the arts community.