Testimonials
Lisa Pressman is a model of what a teacher can bring to the table for students. I have seen her teach, and I’m in awe of her ability to bring out the best. It also says a great deal that other teachers take her workshops. No one–no one–who takes a few workshops and then turns around to teach could come close to what a seasoned, generous and brilliant teacher like Lisa has to offer. Why would any student want to settle for less?
Joanne Mattera, painter, founder/director of theInternational Encaustic Conference
Lisa was a big help when I was rethinking my approach communicating about my work to the wider world. I needed fresh eyes on my images and she brought some excellent perspective. She was present, engaged, and generous – as well as, importantly, straightforward and grounded. I ended up with some practical tools and some helpful insight, both of which I have put to use since.
Since the workshop I hired Lisa for mentoring. She has helped me pull my art business together and put forth a more professional face to everything. Because of her and other people she has put me in touch with, my business has grown monumentally in a very short time. We also work on the painting aspect, but tying up the loose ends of the business side has been a big boost to my career.
Lisa Pressman is an accomplished artist and talented instructor. I’ve participated in several workshops with Lisa and also in her individual mentoring program. I’m amazed by her ebullient freedom with materials and techniques that I take away from her unique instruction, but also her ability to push me to the next level. She compels me to examine my work and myself as an artist, and has given me the perspective I’ve needed to strengthen my creative practice and growth as a painter. Lisa’s wealth of knowledge, critical eye and generous guidance has shown me my own potential.
I came to Lisa Pressman with a specific set of goals in mind that I wanted to address in my art and my art career goals and she was a wonderful soundboard and guide. I really appreciated the way she looked at my work and my goals and helped me hone in on what is essential to my visual voice, as well as pushing me to really think and delve further. Months later, I am still referring to my notes I took during our sessions and our email exchanges. Doing the mentorship with Lisa was like being given a toolbox full of resources and reflections that I have taken with me and will keep with me for a long time.
Mentoring with Lisa Pressman has done more for my art, and my art career than I had ever hoped for. Within months of beginning our work together I was being represented by two new galleries, had a website I was very proud of and had a more focused and deeper understanding of my work and my identity as an artist. She is a sage sounding board offering priceless wisdom garnered from her many years of experience. Working with her has been the best decision I ever could have made for the success of my journey as an artist.
I have taken several workshops from Lisa Pressman and have always come away with a better understanding of the materials used as well as a fresh sense of where I’m going with my own art making. She is an intuitive instructor, adapting her lessons to meet the needs of her students. Individual attention is one of her strengths. She allows ample time for exploration as we discover new techniques and methods for approaching our work. As a mentor, Lisa has helped me take my studio practice to the next level. Her questions are thought-provoking and individualized; her answers to my questions are honest and reliable. She is a valuable resource whether I’m updating my website, preparing for an art show, or contemplating a new body of work. Her humorous yet straight-forward approach is exactly what I need.”
What a delight to write a testimonial for Lisa Pressman. I have now taken three workshops with her and have also used her as a mentor as I make the transition from realistic painting to abstract work. Lisa is an incredibly gifted, intelligent artist and a wonderfully skillful teacher/coach. She recognizes and respects each student’s individuality, listens carefully to individual needs, has a multitude of ways both to see and to help you see and articulate what you are doing, what you are trying to do, and where you are stuck – and to recommend practices to help you ‘un-stick’. She is simultaneously supportive and challenging, not afraid to say ‘nope, this doesn’t work’ – but then offering a wealth of possibilities about where you might take a piece of work. Perhaps her greatest gift as a teacher is her ability to help each student develop their own voice, own way of working, own internal process and relationship with their work. You don’t come out of a workshop with Lisa with your work looking like hers; it looks like yours. Plus, she has a great sense of humor and working with her is a lot of fun!
To develop a body of work for an exhibition is a daunting experience. However, with Lisa as a guide and mentor an amazing opportunity was skillfully navigated. Over the course of a year I prepared a fresh body of work in cold wax and encaustic mediums to display on 150 linear feet of gallery wall space. From the first decisions as to the number and configuration of the paintings to the final review, Lisa stood beside me to provide encouragement, critical thinking and focus. Throughout the year, we reviewed, evaluated and applied my skills to this new situation to solve problems and hypothesize/envision new directions; we analyzed the art work as it progressed and deconstructed processes to address the questions of “why” and” how”; we mutually critiqued the artwork so I could ascertain for myself the strengths and weakness of the design, process application and composition; and after the exhibition closed, I was gently assured that my feelings of depression/let-down were normal after 12 months of effort, dedication and concentration. Most importantly, all of Lisa’s efforts were executed with kindness, respect and ever thankfully, humor. I so appreciate Lisa’s talent as an artist and the background and experience she brings to support my artistic growth. The net result? The most cohesive, compelling, well-received artwork I’ve ever created.
I have taken numerous Lisa Pressman workshops and have found they are a way for me to get outside my own studio practice to give me air, perspective, freedom from my own process to help scare staleness away. When I am in her workshop I turn it over completely to Lisa as she guides the group through all kind of drawing and seeing exercises while feeding your palette a smorgasbord of good medium and pigment. I trust each exercise which opens me up for authentic creating and I begin to tap into a certain exciting energy. I leave all of my own control at the door of the studio when I work with Lisa so I can just relax and go with the flow. It takes days after a workshop for me to assess what I did and inevitably I realize I actually have a series of transformative paintings. This helps feed my studio practice with new energy.
As far as mentoring goes in the beginning when I was searching for my intent in my work I had Lisa review my work with me which really moved things along quickly. There is nothing worse than wanting to paint but struggling with what you paint as far as your own vision goes and being alone in that process, but Lisa was a brilliant antidote to that problem. She just kept coaxing me along until I came into my own visual vocabulary that made sense and was genuine to who I am as an artist. Lisa is very giving and kind when she works one on one. This was another great investment for me. Lisa’s standout feature besides her teaching experience is that she herself is a very successful artist which makes all the difference in how she approaches her students. Its why I chose her in the first place. I think its fair to say I wouldn’t be where I am today had it not been for Lisa Pressman. She has played a pivotal role in my studio practice.
Read Blog Posts About Workshops:
Terry-Jarrad-Diamond 24-7 • Encaustic Workshop at Cullowhee Mountain Arts
Jane Davies Studios • Lisa Pressman at R&F Handmade Paints
Anna Wagner-Ott’s • Exploration in Encaustic • Lisa Pressman’s Workshop
Judy Wise’s Blog • Lisa Pressman and Elise Wagner Workshop
Marji’s Art and Life • Alchemy of Process, ….. and the New World of Cold Wax
Terry Jarrard-Dimond Studio 24-7 • Oil Sticks, Oil Paint, Cold Wax, Lisa Pressman,Cullowhee Mountain Arts and Western Carolina University
Rochelle Weiner Fine Art • Experimenting with Pigment Sticks