Lisa Pegnato

Lives and works in Melrose, MA, USA

Artist statement

My work explores the relationship between humans and the earth. Plants and animals play a role in The Garden. I remember playing alone in the woods when I was very little and my work is reflecting the peace and spirit I found there. I hope to inspire the viewer that we still live in The Garden of Paradise. Birds, frogs, the wind...and the stars, are all in a continuous relationship. We all look up at the same sky, the sun, hear the birds sing, fish the rivers and lakes, and cross oceans. I am inspired by the relationship between humans and the plant and animal kingdoms described by ancient mythologies and cross-cultural traditions. Our shared history is relevant today. In this ongoing conversation there is a focus on the idea that we are now still living in the Garden of Paradise. Murals, stories, myth, and art,...left behind by early cultures can be seen in the fabric of our communities. This portrayal of The Garden is an ancient tradition and still exists today all around us. It is a continuous dance with the Cosmos. I am responding to archetypal icons being played out in our contemporary world. Some are beautiful and lyrical, and some have fallen under the heavy weight of war. Another series in The Garden is war. I use horses and birds as a metaphor for the abuses of war and power. “Tell “Them to Send Fast Horses” revisits an earlier series inspired by Picasso's "Guernica". “Things That Fall from Above” is a direct response to the war in Ukraine. You could call it war...

Artwork