"Bringing Art to the People and People to the Arts"


On View in the Members’ Gallery at Blue Ridge Arts Center
September 17 – October 30, 2021

Lisa Shimko enjoyed her childhood in York County, Pennsylvania collecting rocks and exploring the rolling hills of forests and farms. Colors, forms, and textures from nature and the simple designs of Pennsylvania German folk art infused the foundation of her artistic aesthetic. In 1994, Lisa earned a BFA in Painting with a minor in Art Therapy from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Since 2000 Lisa has called South Carolina home, from the low country of Charleston to the foothills of Greenville. Lisa’s art is currently represented by Mitchell Hill in Charleston, SC and Chauvet Arts in Nashville, TN. We hope you can see her work in person at the gallery, but if you are not able to make it, we hope you’ll enjoy browsing our online gallery below and visiting Lisa’s website: shimkoart.com

Artist Statement

Is our nature to see ourselves as part of nature or apart from nature? There is a tension between the human “control” of nature and the health of our planet. I am not an overt “activist” artist but do care immensely about our biosphere.

Paintings are idea collages pieced together after wandering around in natural sciences, sociology, philosophy, mythology, anthropology, psychology, current events, etc.

My art process is a seesaw search for balance between information consumption and healthy peacefulness– sometimes just having fun and exalting nature.

I do not expect nor want an exact translation of what my intentions as an artist were in a piece but hope for eyes to see and interpret in their own way, and ultimately be curious.