Art & Life with Sylvia Lippmann

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sylvia Lippmann.

Sylvia, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
As a shy, introverted teen, I embraced painting as a form of self-expression that didn’t require me to talk to people! Although I took painting classes in college, my very left-brained engineer father insisted I choose a more practical career path. I became a teacher and then a stay at home mom. The busyness of life took over, and my creative side took a back seat.

After 40 years of making excuses not to paint, the upheavals of mid-life had made me acutely aware that life is too brief and precious to ignore things I love. One evening, I impulsively emailed an artist from New Mexico whose work I’d been admiring online to ask if I could study with her. Much to my surprise, artist Ann Hart Marquis agreed to fly to Chicago for a weekend of private lessons.

The process of reconnecting with my artistic soul was amazing. When I first picked up the paint brush, I felt nervous, unsure, and rusty. Slowly, old memories started to kick in. My hand remembered how to hold the paintbrush. The experience of applying wet, thick paint to canvas suddenly felt familiar and joyful. Within a short time, I became totally absorbed, and time and place fell away. Nothing mattered except giving free reign to the creative impulse arising inside me.

Since that magical retreat over three years ago, I now paint almost daily. At midlife, I am grateful to be able to immerse myself in an activity that fuels my imagination and spirit. When I paint, I embrace the pure sensation of whatever arises within me, and I see most clearly how everything is constantly changing. There is nothing more satisfying to me than using color, shapes, lines, and brushstrokes to express life’s changing stream of sensations and experiences.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I am an acrylic abstract painter. Although I initially devoted most of my time to painting abstract florals and landscapes, I have become more and more drawn to non-representational painting as an effective and satisfying way to express my emotions and experiences.

Abstract painting requires a leap of faith. It compels me to move beyond the familiar concrete world of reality and enter an intuitive, imaginative state of mind. Rather than focusing on external references, I turn inward and focus on what’s going on inside me in the moment. I begin to play with colors, lines, and shapes. Images emerge on the canvas, and I enter into the satisfying process of determining how to respond to those images. I continually add and remove colors, lines, and shapes while creating visually interesting layers. As I paint, I enter the ever-changing stream of experience while simultaneously striving to express the fluidity of experience.

Through painting, I discover what I’m feeling and begin to express the energy, emotions, and memories stored inside me. I hope my abstract paintings will trigger an unexpected feeling or memory or question inside you.

How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
For me, success means that I am continually challenging myself creatively. This involves trying to push my abilities in every painting, experimenting, and always looking for ways to improve, it also means dedicating time on an almost daily basis to creating art, whether or not I’m feeling inspired! Success also requires persistence and finding ways to stay motivated during times of self-doubt and frustration.

Another aspect of success for me is continuing to reach a broader audience through social media and eventually through shows or exhibitions. It’s very rewarding to have people interact and connect with my work and to hear that a painting triggered a specific emotion or memory for them.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
You can see, as well as purchase my work on my website at www.sylvialippmann.com. You can also find me on Instagram at #sylvialippmannart. I always appreciate online support through comments, likes, and tagging people on my Instagram page.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sylvialippmann.com
• Phone: 630-479-6489
• Email: syl.lippmann@gmail.com
• Instagram: #sylvialippmannart

Image Credit:
Erin Schnittker, FORGE DIGITAL MARKETING

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