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Commissioning Backyard Series
By Kandace Brigleb
in Studio Notes
We've often thought about the intersection of art and web design and how one inspires the other. Since our recent move downtown, we've been gazing at a number of immense, stark white walls. This got us collectively thinking about what sort of inspirational pieces we could bring in. Our initial thoughts were that we wanted a modern piece that would act as a counter to the vast greyness outside our windows.
Enter the smart, vibrant world of Lisa DeJohn. Lisa, currently living in California, was a Portlander for a number of years. One of the first times I met her, we were enjoying a lovely Spring day at a friend's barbecue. My daughter Zoë, perhaps three at the time, was crawling under bushes and spying on bugs and birds. As Zoë emerged from the thicket, sticks and leaves matting her hair, Lisa smiled. "She reminds me of myself at that age." One can almost see this in her work; Lisa and her art embody a rare mix of lightheartedness and wonder along with a bright curiosity. Perhaps this is why her art makes one us incredibly happy to be around.
We wanted to commission a piece to mark the move to our new studio and sent Lisa a handful of paintings of hers that resonated with us. Our one additional input was, "There is a sense of wonder and play along with the beauty. We really like that about your work." From there, we stepped back and let Lisa paint. As someone who is used to being part of every single small detail of projects, this was oddly exhilarating. We waited with baited breath, checking Lisa's Tweets daily as she posted visual updates.
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And then, one day, the piece was complete. Isn't it breathtaking!
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We couldn't be more thrilled to be able to walk into our studio each day and be greeted by this stunning work from Lisa. She was also kind enough to allow us to send prints out to clients during the holidays. We do hope these prints bring as much joy to the extended Needmore Family as the original brings us each day.
