Who influenced you the most to become an artist? My mother and grandmothers influenced me the most. They were always making things. My first creative memories are of making things out of Play-Doh with my mom. I thought she was magic. I could ask her to make anything and snap, something fantastic would appear. All of a sudden there was something where there had been nothing. That still gets me today. I love bringing something into the world that never existed before.
Flower Pot Bird (sold), Mosaic Mixed Media
What is your creative process? My materials are what motivates me the most. Many of my beads and bases have interesting stories. I shop for them around the world and am very fond of vintage treasures. I love the variety in sparkle, shape, color, size, substance, and all the possible combinations of those elements. There’s a lot of play in my work. Once I’ve decided on a form, I like working organically, experimenting, and trying to surprise myself.
Is there anything else we should know about you or your work? I use a lot of glass, gemstones, rare rhinestones, pieces out of production, and unique items that each have a special history. Every object I renew might appear to be just be covered in pretty beads, but I see them covered in stories.
Lisa Arnold is an interdisciplinary mosaic artist, creating elegant bead-mosaic sculptures in her home studio along the beautiful Mississippi River Gorge in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Though inspired by nature, her pieces tend toward the magical and fanciful. It should be no surprise that her favorite places as a child were Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, the Land of Make-Believe, Oz, and the Island of Misfit Toys. Her creatures call to mind such playful places and invite you to imagine a world of mysterious possibilities. We invite you to learn more about Lisa and her work!
Lover Bunny by Lisa Arnold, 7 x 3 x 4, mosaic mixed media sculpture
How long have you been creating? I remember being four and, though I should have been sleeping, getting up and creating a guest-dinner, birthday-party tableaux with my stuffed animals. I had decked out each of the animals in birthday party regalia, there were buttons and hats, place settings, a tablecloth, birthday favors, streamers…I was so proud of myself – couldn’t believe I put all this together and I was only four! I thought for sure my parents would want to take pictures to mark this as a momentous day. I thought we need to look back upon this event in the future, but alas, my parents were more concerned with my sleep schedule. For my seventh birthday I got a set of paints and construction paper and remember thinking, Oh, this is what artists have!
Why did you decide to become an artist? I think I was born this way. I’ve always loved tiny treasures, sparkles, wonder, and surprise. I’ve always made things and taught (which I also consider part of my art practice), but everything changed when I discovered mosaics. I was teaching theatre and film classes at the University of St. Thomas and advising the slam poetry team, while also doing installation art and dramaturgy. I was supposed to be writing my dissertation on theatre, art, and social change, but knew my heart wasn’t in academia. Once I discovered mosaics, I saw a way to do social justice work as a community mosaic artist. As a teaching artist, I’ve now led 100 residencies across Minnesota, ND, WI, NYC, Jamaica, and China. When I’m not in residence making large-scale mosaics with hundreds of people, I’m beading small-scale sculptures in my home studio. I think of my work as art for justice and art for joy.
