ArtistsNetwork.com 43How does your use of photography play a role in the
creation of your paintings?
I was bitten by the photography bug when I was 18, and
I’ve never stopped taking photos. Too often, I had only
the time on location to take photos and not enough time
to draw or paint. Now, when I have greater opportunity to
use pencils or brushes, my health is a handicap, so I con-
tinue to wander abroad with my camera in my pocket.
My creative process starts with my photos, often taken
for the express purpose of making a painting. I take care
with framing the shots, lighting and details. I make great
use of computer imaging software, modifying an original
image’s tones, values and contrasts, to the extent that I’ve
created a new version of the subject to draw or paint. My
Urban Refl ections series began in this way.
The Urban Refl ections series is based
on glass facades or buildings. Do you
conceive them as mirrors or as
windows? Both? Do you ever wonder
what’s going on behind the glass?
I perceive them as mirrors because the
refl ection is characteristic of the paint-
ing. Oddly enough, I’m not attracted
to this type of glass architecture. It
has practically become the symbol
of successful business—facades of
buildings that are impenetrable,
impersonal, icy. I have no interest
in fi nding out what they’re hiding.
Instead, what attracts my attention
is the mischievousness with which
the sun, which translates as disten-
sion, and the wind, which translates
as pressure-depression, work together
to repudiate this respectability and
austerity. Upon a second look at the
buildings, I discover the eff ects,
spectra and composition, which are
fl uid, surprising and fl eeting. I imme-
diately think of watercolor—and
enjoy translating them as such.
My paintings are often strong in
color and contrast, sometimes a little
dark. Th e challenge of the Urban
Refl ections series is to combine the
rigor of complex drawings with the
fl uidity and spontaneity of watercolor.How do you proceed with painting
from the subject, whether modifi ed
or not?
I fi nd it diffi cult to talk of my “tech-
nique” since that’s not what most
interests me. I don’t have a lot to say
about my working methods. I’ve never
grasped why, when at exhibitions
or demonstrations, people ask for
minute details about paper surfaces,
brush brands and sizes—what kind
of goodness-knows-what was used
and how. Let’s just say that I paint
principally wet-on-dry.
For me, the practical information
will never replace the innate knowl-
edge painfully acquired through years
of practice. All of the pleasure is in
making one’s own discoveries and
monitoring one’s progress—to let the
mind and hand express themselves and
give form to what one is trying to do.
Each time I paint, I have to work
out any diffi culties that may arise.
Th ese diffi culties or challenges areMiroitements
(watercolor
on paper, 11x12)Lizerand uses
a reference photo
displayed on his
computer monitor
as the impetus for
his urban facade
watercolor
painting.