Ferns by Lisa Congdon
10"x8" ($24) | 14"x11" ($60) | 20"x16" ($240) | 30"x24" ($1200)
Jen here to introduce Ferns, a brand new print from the multi-talented, all around excellent and utterly inspiring Ms. Lisa Congdon. These layered fronds of unusual hues are so very Lisa: the fern being a favorite form of hers that she’s rendered myriad ways since the very earliest of her art-making days, the color palette that daringly combines seemingly incongruous shades to exuberant effect and the range of forms hinting at her abiding interest in collections both real and imagined.
I fell in love with Ferns the moment I spotted it in Lisa’s Instagram feed and was thrilled when we settled on it as one of two new editions* we’ll be releasing with her this year. There’s something so daring about the colors Lisa chooses here, each one being just a click or two off their most common incarnations … the pink is dusky, the yellow is warmer but not quite ochre, the white has a hint of creaminess to it. Each color is worth considering on its own, and then combined to amazing effect via Lisa’s layers of Scandi-inflected forms. Irresistible!
Ferns is uniquely Lisa, but also easily at home along the continuum of familiar styles and creators. I find myself thinking of Marimekko’s kaleidoscopic yet organic patterns and the Cathrineholm enamelware that Lisa and I have both been obsessed with for decades. And plant specimens being layered over that yummy blue background gives Ferns a certain kinship with the legendary Anna Atkins, doncha think?
I’m thrilled to add Ferns to our varied array of Lisa Congdon editions, and mightily tempted to acquire one of the larger prints for my own self. It’s got so much to give that I know I’d love living with it, with the added bonus of it being created by someone who’s become quite dear to me over these many years that we’ve been working together.
And with that, I’ll bid you a fern-tastic good day till next week, when we’ll be back with more excellent art for you and yours.
With art for everyone,
Jen Bekman
*You’ll have to wait until next week to learn more about the other print, but trust: it’s a real good one!
