You know those fuzzy, rose-tinted memories of summer holidays as a child? Lazy days playing tag in the playground, gamboling across the beach in your sand-filled swimmers and hands covered in blisters from swinging on the local monkey bars – they're the dreamy times that artist Lisa Golightly loves to paint.

We asked had a few questions about her wistful pieces, which you'll find below. For even more, check out her website, Kiki & Polly.



What is your name and how old are you? My name is Lisa Golightly (yes, that is my real name) and I am 39.

Where were you born and where do you live now? I live in Portland, Oregon and grew up a few hours south of here in Eugene, Oregon.

How does where you live affect your art? Immensely. I think it would be quite hard to not be influenced in some way by your environment and the people you surround yourself with.



Please describe the space where you do most of your creation – whether it's your art studio or kitchen bench! I have a studio in our home, in the basement actually. Since I don't get a tonne of natural light I have a lot of colour correcting lights so it works well. It is also quite separate from the rest of the house so once I'm down there, I'm in my own little world.

What kind of mediums do you use? Why do you choose to use these mediums? I usually use acrylic paint on canvas. I'm not the most patient person, so I like the fast dry time and adding layers of colour.

Are there any downsides to the mediums? Getting a painting just where I want it, but also not fearing going past that point to see what happens. I've painted over my fair share of paintings.



What makes your work unique and truly your own? I think my work has a balance of fond rememberance with a little bit of sadness or questioning.

Tell us a little about your creative process. I typically start with a found photograph. It is the starting point, but the final image is often changed through colour, composition etc from the original photo.

What kinds of ideas and things are you working on at the moment? I've been working on painting images as if they were overexposed. It creates this faded out image that I really relate memory with.



How has your style changed over time? I think the subject of childhood has evolved over time. At first I was exploring having memories of my childhood replayed or reviewed through my own kids' creation of memory. Now I have this true sense of nostalgia for my childhood as my parents have aged, and also a bit of darkness in there looking at the end of one's life.

What's the coolest art tip you've ever received? It's not neccesarily an art tip, but I received it from an art professor when we were talking about a series of work I had done. The pieces were small and she suggested I recreate them on a larger scale. It was a photography class and was one of the first times I had combined photography and painting. Painting was still intimidating to me (still is somedays). She said, well then you HAVE to do it! You have to do what scares you.



Which era of art do you appreciate the most? I seem to be drawn to artists born in the 1920s and 30s - Kline, Twombly, Richter. I think it is because my Dad is also an artist of that era and his work has had a huge impact on me, so paintings from that generation feel like home.

What other budding artists do you love? Sarah Ball, Kai Samuels Davis, Carly Waito, Chelsea James.



What would you be doing if you weren't making art? Probably interior design. My parents dragged us from antique store to antique store growing up and I came away from it loving furniture and creating spaces.

Where can we see more of your work? I currently have several originals available with Good Eye Gallery in Los Angeles, and I also try and update my Etsy shop regularly with new work.