Lisa Avila - Biography

After three years as an art major at the University of the South, Lisa left school and moved to Colorado, where she continued to draw and paint for three years. During that time, she worked in quick-study watercolors, gesture drawings, and watercolor and ink. In 1976, she and her first husband moved to New Hampshire, where she began a horse-industry career that later took her to Texas and ultimately spanned more than 30 years. In 2010, Lisa made a major career shift when she became Performing Arts Director, and eventually Executive Director, of a local gallery and cultural center. When she and her husband retired to Placitas during the pandemic, she finally had more time to paint, and the landscape and beauty of her new surroundings became a powerful source of inspiration for her art.

Lisa works primarily in acrylics and mixed media, creating both representational and abstract paintings. Her non-representational pieces often reflect a mood or respond to events in her life or in the wider world. Her representational work is most often inspired by nature. Painting allows Lisa to interpret life in a way that brings her joy. Whether she is painting a portrait of a friend’s pet, working plein air, or creating a scene from her imagination, color is central to her process. A hint of a particular color in a landscape often leads her to make it the predominant one, drawing it out in a way that adds vibrancy and movement.

Lisa prefers to invite rather than challenge the viewer, so she paints in a way that encourages people to smile—though an occasional “oh wow!” is always welcome. For that reason, she rarely creates completely literal pieces, choosing instead to gently abstract her representational work. After studying art in college, taking a 30-year hiatus, and then retiring to one of the most enchanting and inspiring places on earth, Lisa has truly found her “happy place.”