Forwad MOMENTUM

Artist Lisa Gleim shares the evolution of her career and how she grew into her preferred medium of pastels

- Tracey Norvell

How did an Atlanta native become a storyteller and arrive at ways of engaging viewers in each framed moment's bigger story? Skill and passion certainly are a leg up. Lisa Gleim possesses a knack for very deftly pairing clever compositions with masterful, anatomically accurate renderings of untamed, often predatory, creatures to inspire mystical musings by viewers. There's more to her tale, however.

Over the course of her career, Gleim has grown into her own unique style, instantly recognizable. Her current body of work is a series of Western wildlife narrative realism on panel, set against understated but identifiable substrates of vintage maps and nostalgic collectables on panel. Such backgrounds add to each work's narrative, using materials of an undeniable universal appeal.

Who doesn't have a city metro guide, a show ticket, a saved scrap of paper chock full of fond, unforgettable memories? Many pieces also include charming interactions: A bear exploring a honey hive as bees circle or a keen fox eyeing two taunting ravens. "Bears are natural models-curious, active and playful," says Gleim.

"Initially, my aspiration to be a commissioned portrait artist led me to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). Until then I had always drawn, never really painted, nor imagined working in oils. Experience with both [drawing and painting] refined and focused my career objectives. Then there was yet another unexpected twist before graduation: in a classmate's castoff supplies, I found my true medium: pastels."