open, flowing forms, portraying movement and the expression of life….
Artist Statement
The purpose of my work is to inspire care and hope for our planet and each other. My intention is to bring attention to the interdependence of all living things supporting healthy ecosystems.
I shape and fabricate metal into open, flowing forms, portraying movement and the expression of life. Each sculptural piece is plasma, laser and/or flame-cut from steel, bronze or stainless, then ground, sanded, hammered and welded. For public works in human form, a colorful powder coated finish adds a bold statement and symbolic meaning. For natural forms of all sizes, I may be called to leave the metal in its natural color, add patina, or embellish the surface with colorful layers of glass enamel.
Nature and its unseen connections inform my work. Sketching and documenting while on hikes, bikes, paddles and skis throughout the seasons in Central Oregon, I look for signs of growth and movement … seedlings sprouting through lava rock, river water absorbing snags with salmon hidden in the shadows, fungi fruiting and the underground mycelium between tree roots.
“Tall Ponderosa pines lift my spirit, river energy moves through me, whole-body movement invites expression.
Breathing, moving, listening for what the earth needs informs my art.”
Through an embodiment movement practice, insights initially flow into line and color onto paper. Designs are then simplified into 3D forms, cut and curved to find balance, then patterns are transferred to steel. Once built, the steel surface harkens back to its original insight, expressed in bold color often with narrative detail made possible by kiln-fired layers of glass.
I combine enameling techniques to create drawings and paintings in glass on the surface of metal sculptures, jewelry, panels and enamelware. One favorite theme is to build a steel sculpture of an animal or human captured in motion, and portray the ecosystem that they depend on the surface of their body, drawing and painting with layers of enamel.
Artist Bio
Best known for her award winning outdoor sculptures, Alisa Looney has exhibited in the U.S. and Canada. Her work is in a multitude of private and public collections, including Maryhill Museum of Art in WA, and several cities in the NW United States. Her enamel sculptures have exhibited in The Enamelist Society’s International Biennial Exhibitions: Alchemy 4, 5 and 6, and projects published in The Art of Fine Enameling, Second Ed. Alisa has taught in the US, including the Carpenter Art Enamel Foundation, and online with Silvera Jewelry School and Pocosin Arts.
She fell in love with metal arts as a silver smith in her early years, received her BFA from Boise State University in 1983 and began welding in 1998. Alisa returned to Idaho in 2010 to study enameling with John Killmaster. This allowed her to merge metal sculpture and narrative imagery into what she considers her most magical work to date. At the age of four, Alisa began drawing and building with clay and sand on the banks of the Spokane River, in Northern Idaho. The movement of the river is still present in her work today and her artistic vision includes partnering with organizations that support healthy tree stands and rivers.
Alisa and her husband, woodblock printer Wade Womack, own River Art Adventures in Bend, Oregon, where they each maintain an independent studio practice, contract commissions and enjoy teaching their respective mediums.