Artist Statement: I paint a door, and it is leading somewhere new. Time waits for the door to open, and time shifts when I show what is on the other side. I paint the liminal spaces between my old and my new. Art defines my liminal "In Betweens" when words fail. In these times, it's hard to sit and wait in the "In Between." Because I paint, I'm going to be OK.
Bio: Alisa E. Clark is an artist, writer and educator who shares her creative process and encourages others to join her in the process of art making. Alisa communicates the transformative power of art through words and images and believes in releasing the spiritual power of painting to others: its power to reveal God's presence in our daily lives, give us peace, help us in the "Right Now," and make us more mindful on our journey.
Alisa believes in the power of creative expression—its power to help us find hope as we wait in life’s most challenging places and spaces. Alisa received a BFA from Pratt Institute, and she has an MS in education. While her formal training has helped her understand her painting process better, it did not begin her process. Alisa began finding a peaceful “flow” while creating when she could first pick up a crayon. As time passed, Alisa did what came naturally for many engaged in the artistic process: she created her way through making sense of the past, sitting in life’s “In-Betweens,” and entering new places on the other side of much waiting. While considering all of these transitional spaces, Alisa noticed that much of her art was made while sitting in the liminal “In-Between.”
Alisa now looks back on a lifetime of art making, and she sees creativity’s gift of “flow” during the countless times of sitting and waiting for time to do its work within her. She sees that her creative process was with her whether the hands of time moved too fast or too slow. She also notices that in the most challenging times—the moments when time seemed not to move at all—her creative process was her great companion. When engaged in this process, Alisa’s has her most profound spiritual experiences. Art is a gift that provides her much connectedness, meaning, and joy.
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