Fabulous Artist Alert! Elizabeth Prillinger

Meet Elizabeth "Lilly" Prillinger.  Who is AWESOME.   

She is a CrossFit badass.  (Apologies for shakiness of filming here . . . .)

And she is an amazing artist.  

Recently, she took time out of her action-packed (read on) schedule to answer some questions for us.  We're posting them below.  Amidst photos of the juried show she is currently a part of:

That's right:  The Hootenanny, an art exhibition of city and county employees of San Francisco.  It runs through August 27 at the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery (401 Van Ness).  

Another aside before we begin:  WE LOVE LILLY'S WORK HERE!!!  As you will see as you scroll down . . . the subject matter of this piece is particularly dark.  WHICH. WE. LIKE.  Because let's get real:  no one can be kind, exuberant and positively-sparky all the time.  

So, CHEERS TO YOU, LILY, for all of your art . . . including "Little Deaths" on display at The Hootenanny.

What is your art background?

I have always enjoyed making things.  From an early age my sister and I used to entertain each other with our drawings and pictures.  My mother always encouraged creativity and I think her influence stayed with me for life and shaped my own interest in the visual world.  I graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Art History and later received a Masters in Fine Art from the San Francisco Art Institute.

What medium do you prefer to use?

I am most comfortable working with oil paint, but I readily use alternative materials depending on the circumstances.  Recently, I have been doing a lot of drawing.  I collect photographs and old magazines as reference material so sometimes I prefer the immediacy of collage.  ["Little Deaths" is a series of 20 pieces, acrylic paint and polymer resin on canvas.]

What is your art space and schedule like?

My "art space" is a an unwieldy collection of "ephemera" that meanders back and forth between the garage and the backyard, but often winds up at the kitchen table.  I work on projects sporadically but intensely when I have the time.

"Little Deaths (series) 2006"

What else do you do during the day?

I am a San Francisco Police Officer.  At work, I'm afforded the ultimate privilege to help people -- but I am also able to observe and engage a diverse range of circumstances and individuals, from which I learn a tremendous amount.  

How do you describe your work?

As an artist, I am drawn to imagery that provokes a sense of unease, or mystery.  I am interested in the internal unrest that can be evoked by a visual composition.  In my paintings, I try to create unusual moments that express the muted anxieties and tensions of everyday life.  Generally speaking, I prefer to explore vaguely off-balance and slightly troubling subject matter.  Exposure to extreme circumstances often forces people to process and relate information in unusual and disturbing ways.  I am particularly interested in how "humor" plays a part in our abilities to express our personal histories, in that it often helps to diffuse content that may be emotionally unacceptable or unpleasant.

"Bath," 5" x 7" (part of "Little Deaths")

Where do your inspirations and ideas come from?

I am most inspired by the internal drama of everyday life.  As I get older, I am drawn more to the beauty of the natural world and I have actually been painting landscapes, which I never used to do.  Landscapes are frustrating because I want to make them "beautiful" -- but my inherent style veers towards abjection and distortion, so my landscapes are always unintentionally contorted and slightly comic.

"Swarm," 5" x 7" (part of "Little Deaths")

What's your next artistic goal?

I'd like to improve my ability to "see" and implement color in my work.  Several years ago, I made a series of figurative paintings featuring "thrill rides" at amusement parks, such as Ferris wheels and roller coasters.  Recently I've thought I'd like to make this type of work again, although I'd like to focus more on abstraction and how color imports sensation and dynamic movement to a composition.  It is amazing how "empty" space in a picture can infuse depth.  It is funny because I often find myself clumsily over-working the smallest little details -- but it is usually the large and loosely-rendered "open space" in a painting that I enjoy the most.

Thanks to you, Lilly, for being such a rocking roll model:  protecting and serving, and letting your artist flag fly high, too . . . embracing the full range of life, in work, and in art and its subject-matter.  YOU RULE!!!