Artist, Lisa Ward Landsman, was born in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 1970. She showed an interest in the visual arts at a very young age, and her parents encouraged this by enrolling her in various coursework in art technique and design. Lisa painted her first watercolor still life at age 9, and she still owns this painting to this day. One of her most humorous memories involves an independent art school in Tampa, Florida, where at age 13 she was the youngest student in a figure class with nude models. The instructor was concerned about her tender age, which resulted in all female models for this particular class!

An equally important love in Lisa's young life was Biology. She would sit for hours observing insects and arachnids. A close friend of the family was recently quoted as saying, "She was always strange." Lisa received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology in 1996 from Florida Atlantic University. She worked as a wildlife biologist with the SPCA Wildlife Care Center in south Florida, observed chimpanzee behavior as part of a project set up by The Jane Goodall Institute, and worked with sawgrass on an Everglades restoration project with the South Florida Water Management District. During the same time period, she painted masterpiece reproductions, by artists such as Miro, Picasso and Matisse, for a web site called World Masterpieces.

Lisa's current work is inspired by her love of zoology and entomology, Pop Art, mid–century modern design and bold color. She does commissioned work for private collections, businesses such as nightclubs, restaurants and offices, and interior designers looking to commission a special piece to go with their particular design. Her most popular requests are personal commissions to paint an individual's "life". She was recently published in Coastal Living magazine and chosen to create the artwork for their 2004 Idea House. She is a board member of the non–profit arts organization Gala Corina and a member of the 6 women artist group, BRAVA. She continues to indulge her dual career choice by working part time as the Animal Registrar in the Department of Biological Operations at The Florida Aquarium and is a board member of the Zoological Registrars Association, an international animal conservation organization.

"I think that there is a time for serious artwork, when you have a cause to promote or a feeling to portray, and then there is a time for fun or beautiful pieces that have the ability to make people laugh or touch their hearts. I paint in many different styles, and I choose not to categorize my work…I have found that it appeals to different kinds of people, from those who love modern or contemporary art, to those who enjoy more traditional pieces. " – Lisa Landsman

Read about the artist in the St. Petersburg Times feature article, Front Porch: Making Art to Fit the Furniture, June 4, 2004 and see her artwork in Coastal Living magazine's November/December 2004 issue.

Recent Exhibitions:

• – "Claire de Lune" – juried show at the Central Art Space at The Sanctuary Lofts
• – August 19 – 21, 2005
• – Artificial Productions @ The Castle – group show – July 3, 2005
• – Vitale Gallery, "Ladies Room" – group show – May – June, 2005
• – Gala Corina, "Verde" – group show – March 17, 2005
• – Selected artist for Coastal Living magazine's 2004 Idea House in Apollo Beach, Florida – Oct. 2004 – March 2005
• – Gala Corina, "ser Libre" – group show – Nov. 5 – 20, 2004
• – The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Shimberg Playhouse – 2 month solo exhibition, Jan. – Feb. 2004
• – The Florida Aquarium – permanent solo exhibition on consignment
• – Czar Nightclub, Ybor City – corporate collection
• – Po' Boys Creole Café – permanent solo exhibition on consignment
• – Industrial Strength Staging, Inc. – corporate collection