Lisa Blackshear Visual Artist

As an Asheville artist, I find great joy in painting on location the natural beauty of the Blue Ridge and the architectural gems of Asheville and Western North Carolina. In oil and watercolors, I seek to capture the essence of my surroundings. My paintings are typically bright, loose, and abstract, yet infused with recognizable symbolism of the natural and urban beauty of North Carolina.

After 2 decades of illustrating for publications in New York City, I was ready for a change. A move to Asheville provided just the opportunity I needed to plunge into my life-long dream of painting “en plein air.” I’ve met such an amazing array of talented, generous wonderful plein air painters in this area. 

I applied for and received the Asheville Area Arts Council’s Asheville Art in the Park Arts & Community Grant. This was offered to committed artists in Western North Carolina in order to enhance public spaces and highlight the role of local artists within the community. The organization I created – the Asheville Urban Landscape Project – gets area artists out in the streets and neighborhoods to teach and learn plein air painting. This endeavor has provided me with a fantastic opportunity to hone my painting craft and share my love of the arts.