Lisa is the owner/creator of a stump print shop called Light and Ink Studio. Find her work here. Her posts on Instagram are delightful to follow as well, @light_and_ink. Take a peek. If you frequent boutiques and bazaars in the Provo area you will most certainly find her beautiful work there!

Your art is unique and directly correlated with nature, how did you first come up with the stump print? Have you tried any other nature prints?
I should start with saying I’m overly sentimental. It’s a bit crazy the things I’ve held on to over the years. With that being said, the prints started a few years ago when my family discovered our childhood home in Oregon was scheduled to be torn down. My brother planned a trip to visit the home, and before he went I asked if he’d be willing cut a few pieces from the trees in the backyard. There were three walnut trees in our yard, one for each of my siblings and I. Only one of the trees was still standing. I knew the tree stumps were still there, and I knew I had to do something with them to preserve a small portion of my childhood memories.

My brother was a hero and came home with a few cuts from our old tree, and I went to work trying to create a print from them. Unfortunately, that particular stump had begun to rot so I was unable to print it, but that process developed my love of tree printing which lead to printing all my other stumps.

The only other “nature printing” I have done with is with cyanotype paper. I am fascinated with the idea of making a lasting object out of something that will eventually fade away with time. The world is such a beautiful place. It’s nice to preserve small bits of it.

If an up and coming artist came to you for advice on how to grow a business, what would you tell them?
I’m not sure I’m qualified to answer this. Labeling myself as an artist makes me nervous 🙂 and I’m certain that I am still very much in the “up and coming” category myself. That being said, my advice would be; push yourself to keep going, it’s okay to fail, don’t sell yourself short, make new friends, which is another way of saying “network”, and don’t take things too personally.

What is the first life lesson you remember learning?
That happiness is a choice. My family moved from Oregon to Utah when I was in high school. It was a bit rough for me. My dad spent a serious amount of time trying to instill the concept in me that my happiness was my choice. I could be miserable or I could accept things for how they were and be happy. That idea has never left me (good job, Dad – you’re a hero, too).

Is it important for you to establish new friendships?
Yes! Over the course of the past year I met so many great individuals who have unknowingly pushed me to keep going – to keep creating. I’m not the greatest at going outside of my comfort zone, but I can tell you that reaching out and getting to know new people has had zero negative effect. I don’t mean just getting to know those in my local community because Instagram has connected me with some truly great people. This creative community (local and otherwise) I stumbled upon is priceless. It has been really inspiring to see how supportive, encouraging, and friendly people can be.

What drives your passions?
Passion. I think about this subject often. I admire the passion of others and I think that, in a way, drives my own passion. I find it completely astounding that a person can come up with an idea, a song, a work of art, a recipe, what ever it may be, in their mind and then make that concept into a reality. I love that process. Idea to reality – that thrill pushes me to keep creating.

What are your most favorite things(people, places, objects, etc.)?
This is a big question. I’ll tell you the story of one of my favorite pieces of art that I own. I spent a lot of time in NYC a few years back. I visited the MET every chance I had. Outside the museum there are always vendors selling their artwork. There was one particular artist that I loved. He was an elderly gentleman with a thick accent. He made gorgeous original etchings. They were so detailed, yet clean and simple. On each visit to the museum I would visit his booth, look over his new works and ask if he had any pieces with The Statue of Liberty. His answer was always, no. Time went by, and I moved back to Utah. About a year after my move home, I went back to visit the city. Of course I made my obligatory visit to the MET. As I left the museum that day I headed downtown and saw the same familiar booth with the same familiar etchings. I approached the artist and out of habit asked if he had any pieces with The Statue of Liberty. He quickly looked up at me and responded enthusiastically in his thick accent, “Yes! I have been waiting and waiting for you to come!” He then pulled a beautiful print from under his booth and gave it to me. I was shocked and thrilled. Thinking back on it now, I probably should’ve overpaid him, and I probably should’ve hugged him, too. People never cease to amaze me.