After nearly two years in the making, a new coffee table book featuring several of my paintings is finally being published. This is a real art book, not one of those fee based vanity publications that nearly all artists get solicited for. The book is due out in a couple of months but is avaiable for pre-order at Amazon. Here's the book cover:

 The image in the upper center is my painting "Trumpet Diptych." Here is the publisher's synopsis of the book:

"Over 500 striking color images display the artwork of 100 contemporary painters from around the world. Their works, in oils, acrylics, and watercolors, range from very traditional pieces representing their mother countries to emerging styles that are new on the world scene. Naïve style painters resurge with a new spark, while others ventured into a more futuristic direction, mixing styles and creating completely unique and innovative canvases. No matter in which direction the artists take their work, each painting is truly exceptional and comes straight from the heart. The painters, from child prodigies to experienced veterans, are arranged alphabetically, allowing readers to view all the work of each artist together. Through this book, readers will travel the world and discover amazing contemporary artists and their important works of art. This book is a must for serious art collectors, enthusiasts, gallery owners, and artists."
To see the listing on Amazon, click here. 

Here's a closer look at the cover image, "Trumpet Diptych"

"Trumpet Diptych" 36" x 48" acrylic on canvas, permanent collection, M.D.Anderson Cancer Research Hospital

I dropped by Vanderbilt a few days ago to refresh my information stand with new cards and copies of the feature article done on me by American Artist Magazine several years back. I have enough spare copies that I put a stack on the podium for anyone who would like to take a copy to read. Many people spend long hours at Vanderbilt waiting while a loved one is in surgery or undergoing treatment. I know they welcome little respites from sitting in the waiting areas sometimes for many long hours. The cards have disappeared almost as fast as I put them on the table, so I hope those interested will enjoy reading the article and learning more about my inspiration and techniques for making art.

American Artist Article front page

 

 

 

 

The exhibit will remain on display until January 6 at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Mezzanine Gallery. If you have some time over the holidays to get by and see it, please let me know.

If you're looking for an "artsy" holiday gift, something modestly priced and not mass produced, my note cards just might fill the bill. These cards are based on four of my floral paintings and there's a generous 12 cards and envelopes per box. The price $19.95 per box, plus $5.95 shipping for up to three boxes. They're packed in attractive, clear topped card boxes. Please email me directly if you'd like to buy a box or more, lisa@lisaernst.com. If you'd like to purchase through Paypal, click on this link and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Assorted Note Cards by Lisa Ernst

Two Saturdays ago, on October 22, I went to Radnor Lake before sunrise to take some early morning fall shots. It had rained the day before and the fog was thick over the lake, in some places visibility was minimal. The fall colors were just about perfect as the sun made its way through the fog, which added a mystical soft beauty to the views. Here are a few of the shots:

This is one of my favorites, with the saturated yellow trees against the soft blue lake

This one has a "Zen like" feel to me.

Ducks always add interest in the water shots, these three just swam into my shot!

Just enough fog here to add an element of softness and mystery.

I've loaded a full album from this foggy shoot at my Facebook page. Here's a link: Foggy Lake.

Last week I delivered my recently completed "Backlit Lotus" to Vanderbilt. They hung it in a open spot with the rest of my Botanic Immersion exhibit. Here's how it looks:

"Backlit Lotus" 36" x 48" acrylic on canvas

Side view of "Botanic Immersion" exhibit at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville

View of exhibit from across the walkway

The exhibit will remain on view until January 6, 2012. If you haven't gotten by yet and live in Nashville, I hope you'll have the chance to view it. Let me know if you do! The paintings in this exhibit are available for sale directly through me, so please direct any inquiries to lisa@lisaernst.com.

In early September my husband and I spent a relaxing week at Amelia Island in Florida, as we do each year. One of my favorite things to do each morning is to grab my camera and tripod just before sunrise and shoot on the beach. This year didn't bring the extreme drama and incredible colors of years past, so I had to make the best of what I had to work with. There were a few mornings that yielded some nice color and interesting cloud formations. Here are a few of my favorites:

On the home front, at Vanderbilt University's request I signed a contract to extend my exhibit, Botanic Immersion, at the VUMC art gallery though January 6, 2012. I'll be adding a new painting to the exhibit in a few weeks and will post some photos then.

From Sunday's Tennessean:

Vanderbilt medical center displays bright yet restful botanicals

7:54 PM, Aug. 19, 2011 

Lisa Ernst's Lotus Lake, acrylic on canvas, is on view at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. /

• Filed Under
• Entertainment
• Entertainment Arts & Culture

Nashville painter Lisa Ernst’s work is well-suited for public spaces. Her paintings are large and bright, her floral and botanical subjects are generally calming, soothing despite the vivid colors of her palette. Eight of Ernst’s paintings are displayed in Botanic Immersion in Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Mezzanine Gallery through Sept. 30.

The best vantage point for the works is from across the open space of the lobby. Indeed, the bursts of color are visible from the circular drive out front. Up close, the paintings offer macro views of natural materials, including a pile of leaves running the full spectrum of fall colors, from red and orange to yellow and green.
Ernst’s other paintings include vibrant bunches of calla lilies the color of peaches, and a study of the veining found in the underside of leaves.

While most of the paintings in “Botanic Immersion” are full-frame images of blooms, Lotus Lake is an aquatic scene of blossoms and other vegetation along with reflection-filled water.
Ernst has been focusing on the connection between art and healing for nearly a decade, and her work is part of hospital collections in Houston and Chicago. An installation of her botanicals and abstract paintings was also featured in the Arts at the Airport program last spring.

"Callas" 36" x 48" acrylic on canvas

The Mezzanine Gallery is in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center lobby, 1211 22nd Ave. S., and is always open. For information about the gallery, call the VUMC Arts office at 615-936-1234. For directions and parking information, go to www.mc.vanderbilt.edu.
— MiChelle Jones, for The Tennessean