Local StoriesNovember 22, 2022

Daily Inspiration: Meet Lisa Anne Tindal

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Anne Tindal.

Lisa Anne, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I returned to painting, something I believe I was created for, in my early fifties. My journey back into creativity followed a period of about three decades during which I was a wife, a mother, and a professional in the fields of helping children and adults as I worked to increase awareness of mental illness and suicide. My children became adults, married and entered college and I returned to art.

I have written, spoken or shared in conversations with curious listeners, my story of how I came to art and how I came back. Many posts on my blog share stories of angst and celebration over calling myself an artist. Essays have been published, columns have been written. On a Saturday a few weeks ago, I was invited to share to an audience of women at a church gathering. With paintings as my backdrop, I approached the podium, words on five sheets of paper divided by a bold last-minute revision, “LOOK UP HERE” because I was afraid of what the faces might say as I told of my artist story…my Redemption Story. My story has not always been an easy share.

I was a small-town introverted southern girl who received an art scholarship and then lost it along with many things that were mine and mine to come because of a traumatic college incident, a rape. And so, there wasn’t the wherewithal to paint, I was unable. I lost it for good, I decided.

Then my faith grew and the inability began to speak more softly, differently. It changed to brave hope and willingness. You were and are able, you just needed to heal and grow.

Art embraced me in an unusual way. It began with sketches of women in the margins of my Bible. Women who had been victims, women without good standing and women close to giving up on God and themselves. The margins of my Bible became the colors of my life and gradually I moved to paint and canvas. The works gave me comfort and began to comfort others.

I simply continued, knowing to quit would be dishonoring myself, disputing my bravery. Bravery is a requirement. Being an artist requires vulnerability and the risky possibility of likely rejection. Being an artist requires a commitment to remain true to yourself, the little child inside, the deep places only you and God know. You nor your art can be copied. And so, the artist continues.

I’ve ventured from angelic women, figurative pieces, to landscapes, abstracts, acrylic and pastel on paper. I’ve joined communities and applied to shows. I remind myself to “do hard things”.

However, the magic happens in the quiet, the heeding the call to return, to stand in front of the easel and just paint, paint with no agenda, no expectations, only the sweet treasure of being you. Being an artist later in life is more than a calling. It’s a realization that the long-awaited gift held in secret has presented itself. There’s a gift for you. Don’t be timid about untying the bow to discover your season, the thing you were created and kept for, no matter your journey or how arduous your road.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
My road has not been smooth; but, it has led to a strength I’d never have known if I had not given myself permission to return to painting. Comparison and fear over starting way too late and “missing the boat” are and have been my biggest struggles.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My paintings have a sense of being multi-layered and often textured with depth. I use a technique I call simply, “adding and taking away” of paint. I feel this method is a metaphor for growth, for transformation. The edges of the figures are often bordered in a dark blue grey. The women I paint rarely have facial features. Their story and their gift to the viewer is often seen in their posture or the positioning of their gaze, pensive or hopeful. The women I paint are often referred to as angels, although I rarely see them this way and even more rarely add wings. A friend recently commented that they are “bridal”. I can agree.

My landscapes are inspired by the place in the country where I was raised or where my daughter and her family live. The fields are expansive and the sky is wider, a brilliant blue. Memories of trips to Edisto Beach or Tybee Island inspire coastal paintings. My landscapes are typically more abstract than realist. I love to give a sense of this being a place anyone has ever traveled and can be reminded of their time there.

I’ve been told that regardless of the subject, my artwork is recognizable because of a sense of ease in the brushstroke and many times, a bold contrast of color. I also enjoy designing a calendar featuring my art each year.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I would say the Covid-19 Crisis confirmed for me that isolation is not healthy. Although I no longer work in the mental health field I have spoken with former colleagues who say there is still a bit of resistance in many people to simply “be with others”. From a very personal perspective because of my faith and my past history of trauma, we are not meant to live afraid. Fear is not conducive to our well-being.

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