The visually-compelling, imaginative works of artist and author Lisa L. Cyr use symbolism, metaphor and allegory to stimulate curiosity, provoke thought and encourage further inspection. A poetic, rhythmic synthesis of drawing, painting, collage and assemblage, Cyr’s visually tactile, mixed-media works are composed to collectively create a new reality with a more expressive and symbolic arrangement, transforming the ordinary to the extraordinary.
In Cyr’s world of the fantastic, the viewer is shown a portal into a highly imaginative, mystical realm where supernatural beings, winged guardians and underworld deities coalesce in magical, multilayered environments and dreamscapes. Within the artist’s personal narration, visual tales of quests to worlds unknown evoke transcendental experiences for those who are willing to enter into the pictorial drama. Through the multilayered narrative, we journey to a world beyond, where the awakened subconscious leaves the viewer spellbound and wanting more.
A graduate from The Massachusetts College of Art (BFA) and Syracuse University (MA), Cyr’s artistic oeuvre has been exhibited in museums and galleries, including traveling shows with the Society of Illustrators of New York and Los Angeles. Her work has been featured in magazines, books and online, including numerous features in Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, Infected by Art, AcrylicWorks: The Best in Acrylic Painting and Incite: The Best in Mixed Media. Her work is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of American Illustration in New York City as well as in private collections.
Cyr writes for many of the creative industry’s leading art publications and has authored seven books on art and design, including the mixed-media bestsellers Experimental Painting and Art Revolution (Penguin Random House).
She teaches at the the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, The Art Students League of New York, the Institute of Art & Design at New England College and in several of the top MFA graduate programs for illustration and design: Hartford Art School MFA in Illustration Program and Marywood University Masters with the Masters Program. Cyr is an artist member of the Society of Illustrators in New York City and works with her husband, 3D illustrator and animator Christopher B. Short, and daughter Michaela M. Short, filmmaker, photographer and audio engineer.
Speaking Experience:
American Institute of Graphic Arts
The Society of Illustrators, NYC
The Art Students League of NY
The National Illustration Conference
The Norman Rockwell Museum
Boston Museum of Fine Art
Columbus Society of Communicating Arts
The Hartford Art School
University of the Arts
The Artist Network University
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online
Florida Artists Group, Inc.
Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design
Eastern Connecticut State University
The Massachusetts College of Art & Design
New Hampshire Creative Club
Pratt Institute
Parsons School of Design
Savannah College of Art & Design
Kendall College of Art & Design
Southern Utah University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Syracuse University
Sage College of Albany
Marywood University
Kutztown University
New Jersey City University
The University of New Hampshire
The University of Kansas
Keene State College
Notre Dame College
NH Institute of Art
Rochester Institute of Technology
Delgado Community College
Sharon Arts Center
Northampton Community College
NYC Final Cut ProRivier College
Notre Dame College
East Stroudsburg University
Ohio Tourism Bureau
Mohawk Valley Community College
Shanghai Normal School Cultural Exchange
The Institute of Art & Design at New England College
Hesser College
Instructing:
ILLUSTRATION PROGRAM GUEST SPEAKER
