I’m Paige Wassel. WAS the Newsletter is your weekly dose of design inspiration, where finding good art is always high on our to-do list (some might say too high…and we’re ok ignoring them).

If you’ve been a reader of the newsletter for a while, then you know that we love to feature up-and-coming artists here because, well, art is super important to interior design.

So this week, we’re featuring painter Ish Lipman, who’s a friend and an incredible, imaginative artist pushing the boundaries of reality with intoxicating color palettes and mesmerizing textures that transport viewers to other worlds.

When he’s not painting dreamy, lusciously surreal landscapes, he and his wife Christina Ballantyne (another featured artist of the newsletter) run a critique group, Ouroboros, where artists can come together to discuss their art and learn from one another. In other words, they’re really changing the art game—not just making art, but creating communities and spaces where real connection can happen.

I had the pleasure of discussing film, interiors, walking, and other things with him this week—enjoy!

What’s inspiring you right now or making you feel excited about painting?

My wife, artist Christina Ballantyne, and I have recently started an art program (Ouroboros) and have been running critique classes. Being able to host these discussions and hear about other artists practices and help as a group to solve the various issues that emerge has been extremely revitalizing. 

I also have been painting increasingly under natural light. Most of my paintings are really centered around the feeling of being in a place so it feels very important that they are made under a specific set of circumstances. Accepting this as a necessity has opened things up quite a bit. 

Roads, paths, bridges, and stairs seem to be a common motif throughout your work. What draws you to these images? 

I often paint moments between actions that are centered around the feeling of taking a walk and in the quietness of the walk, certain surroundings become more apparent. I think bridges, stairs and paths provide the opportunities for this type of rest. They also often imply a journey or are a way to point towards the unknown. I gravitate to films that are centered around a type of mystery or search, films like Meshes of the Afternoon by Maya Deren, Stalker by Tarkosvsky, or Zabriski Point by Antonioni. These films are all centered around different types of travel and all feature various path and landscapes that evoke a deep sense of the unknown.

I love the colors you work with. Tell me about your approach to color–how would you describe your color palette? What kind of feeling do you want to evoke purely through color?

I would describe my pallet as Mediterranean. I started painting while I was in school up in Santa Cruz where for the first time I was surrounded by nature on a daily basis. The lush redwoods and dramatic ocean views soon bled into my palette and despite slight changes, have stuck around in one way or another.

Most of my work is about going directly for a feeling. Color naturally plays a huge role in that. for a while I was making only night paintings with fluorescent washes of sand and water and ended up evoking a loosely apocalyptic atmosphere. More recently, things have become a bit more airy. I am leaning more towards evoking the feeling of just before sunset during the summer when things are feeling very loose and dreamy. In general, I am aiming at making loosely transcendental paintings that have a vaguely uncanny undertone. 

Who or what are the main influences on your work? What tradition do you operate in, if any?

If I had to locate myself in a specific tradition, I think the most appropriate description would be that of a landscape painter. Even if I am painting an interior, I still view it as a landscape and am questioning the buildings relationship to the land outside.

I find inspiration across a variety of mediums. The directors I mentioned earlier played a strong role in my development. As for painters, I often return to Leonora Carington, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Florine Stettheimer, Max Ernst and Gertude Abercombie. 

I also am massively inspired by my wife Christina Ballantyne’s work. We are constantly talking about painting and are always looking at each other’s work. Both of my parents are experimental filmmakers and the variety of films and other art they introduced me to throughout my childhood has probably had the single biggest impact or at least laid a firm foundation for my art practice.  

Inspiration more specifically comes from quiet moments where I allow myself the space to sink into the present. I find that a slight distance from attaching to my thoughts often opens up new paths and possibilities. I coincidentally find it easiest to find this sort of mental space in the presence of nature or while sitting with a coffee in the sun.

What relationship do you think art has with interior design? Do you have any special pieces of art in your own home?

I think art can really enhance a room. I love visiting collectors houses because I find the intimacy of a home (when the art is installed well) can provide an opportunity for deeper looking. Most paintings are eventually going to end up on someone’s wall and I like the idea of that. I find that a painting takes on a life of its own when it’s in a home. 

We have a variety of work from friends up in our house. We have a Nour Malas, Jesus David Torres, Mary Griffin and Jane Leipold. In our bedroom we have one of Christina’s paintings hung up and that is usually the first thing I see when I wake up. Apart from that, we hang our own recent paintings in the house as a way to test if they feel done, so often there is a bit of rotation to everything and I find that moving everything around provides me the opportunity to appreciate it all a bit more. 

xx,
P