I was born and raised in the Hudson Valley of New York, birthplace of the Hudson River School – the first internationally recognized American art movement, known for presenting the sublime in nature. Paintings from this era were utilized in the conservation efforts in establishing the National Park Service in the early 1900s. I grew up in the woods to an ecologically friendly minded family. The first art classes I took focused on eastern styles of painting and brought us outside to capture the movement of waterfalls and windblown trees in paint. All of these influences have shaped the artist I am today: a traveler and curious guest in lands with their unique stories to be told in paint.
As such, the NYC Watershed Art Project is of particular interest for me to investigate my homeland as not just a source of inspiration, but a source of sustenance, and in consideration of how this pristine land has been historically ravaged and configured for human consumption.
I look forward to making several studies en plein air, to learn the evolving ecology of the land, history of the watershed, and express that through varied layers of paint. Lessons learned from creating these smaller works will then inform larger paintings in the studio.
Lisa Lebofsky’s plein-air study at the headwaters of the Neversink River
Lisa Lebofsky’s view downstream on the Neversink River
“Form of Formlessness – Ashokan Reservoir”
Lisa Lebofsky Bio:
www.lisalebofsky.com
Lisa Lebofsky is a nomadic plein air painter, collaborating with nature and people. She paints the susceptibility of nature, correlating its restlessness with our vulnerabilities. Lebofsky finds inspiration by immersing herself in different environments and cultures. Regions visited include Antarctica, Greenland, and The Maldives. She is the recipient of awards and residencies including: Shenandoah National Park, VA, Terra Nova National Park, Newfoundland, New Bedford Whaling Museum, MA, Saltonstall, NY, Tilting AIR, Fogo Island, Newfoundland, Jentel, WY. In 2023, Lisa was in the Tribeca Festival Artist Awards Program. Lisa is back in New York after wrapping up a 3 year mission painting across North America to better know the changes happening in our environment and the people it is affecting.
Education:
2000 BFA Metals, State University of New York (SUNY) New Paltz, NY
2006 MFA Painting, New York Academy of Art, New York, NY