Chrisman’s Trish Lewsader has art on display at Link Gallery
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What started as a life long dream has now become a reality for Chrisman’s Trish Lewsader. On February 13th, Lewsader debuted her art at The Link Gallery in Paris.
Last Spring, Trish attended a painting show at the gallery and her artwork caught the eye of director Susan Stafford.
“I was very impressed with her work and asked how long have you been painting and she said she’d been painting her whole life,” Stafford said. “I was very impressed with her work and asked her about doing a show.”
To prepare for the show, Lewsader brought in her works, along with some new paintings that she had recently completed. Over twenty pieces of her artwork was displayed in the gallery for those attending to view.
“When they were bringing it in, every piece that I saw, I was getting more and more excited,” Stafford said. “I am really pleased that Trish agreed to do an exhibit here.”
Lewsader is known for her vibrant use of color and named her show ‘How I See it’. Most of her work is done in acrylic, but a few of the pieces are pencil work and water colors. She also does paper-mache and sculpting.
Once Stafford gave her introduction, Lewsader approached the podium to a round of applause. She began by thanking the Link for having her as well as members of her family.
“I do have to give all the glory to God,” Trish said. “I wouldn’t have my talent if I wasn’t given it.”
Being artistic ran in Trish’s family. Her grandfather was an artist in Japan, who did backdrops for the theaters. Her mother is an artist as well and continued to pass down the tradition to Lewsader and her sisters. One sister dabbles in modern art and three dimensional art, while the other has found interest in ancient Japanese wood sculpting.
Her daughter, Tei White has found an interest in miniatures and has developed her own personal style.
“It just trickled down in the family and we’re all obsessed with it and looking for the next thing to make.”
Trish’s first experience with art was as a child when she drew on her doll’s dress after finding an ink pen.
“That didn’t go over big,” Lewsader said.
Drawing on the doll’s dress may have gotten her in trouble, but one time she used it to get out of trouble.
“The first rotten thing I ever did was when my niece and I were running around in the house and we knocked something off the wall and broke it.
My niece was petrified because it was her grandpa’s,” Lewsader said. “I told her, let’s glue it because I can paint it. We glued it and I painted it and I told him fifteen years later. He never caught it.”
As she grew older, Lewsader started out with pencil due to the scarcity of art supplies, that was until Hobby Lobby became well known.
“I went to pen and ink, then onto charcoal, then paint and acrylic came out and ready made canvas’s came out and made it easier to do because you could paint more and I went crazy.”
Now, Trish can do her artwork in a studio that was built for her by her husband Eric.
“We had a family and that came first. I always did a lot of hard work at night when the kids went to bed,” Trish said. “I’m a night time painter. I try through out the day, but I may do it for ten, fifteen minutes. I like to paint at night when it’s quiet.”
Something that sets Trish’s art apart from others is her use of tools. Most artists tend to gravitate towards a paintbrush, Lewsader prefers another instrument.
“I paint a lot with my pallet knife. I use the tools that you use for clay work for paintbrushes too,” Trish said. “The paintings might look like they are detailed, but it’s just layer over layer.”
Most painters also use a paint palette to put their paints on to be able to blend the colors together, something that Lewsader has no use for.
“I don’t ever use it. I bought one last year because I couldn’t remember the complementary colors and stuff because I hadn’t done that in years. I had to read about it and I’m still not too sure about it, but I did buy one. That’s more for fanning I guess,” Lewsader said. “I like to work straight out of the tube. I’ll mix some, but that’s why I like that pallet knife because it will do it for me. I like to see what colors I can get away with.”
The amount of hours put into a painting consists of many variables from either the angle on the subject or if it’s just not the right time.
“I can get thirty hours in it and some days I can do it fast if I’m not getting interrupted,” Lewsader said. “There has also been times when I’ve sat aside a painting for five years, then came back and finished it.”
With most of Lewsader’s artwork focusing on horses, she began making friends with people from Utah and Missouri, asking them if they would mind if she painted their horses. She admits that at first, they wouldn’t let her touch anything, but she was able to persuade them.
“I told them, listen, when I get done, this isn’t going to look anything like your photo, but I will send you a photo of what I make,” Lewsader said. “Now I’m friends with them and they’re asking if I’m going to paint more.”
With the encouragement of her husband Eric, the couple have decided to put a website together and began talking to a gallery in Arizona. The gallery has requested a total of fifty pieces, but they feel like that’s where the market is.
“We’re not quite there,” Eric said. “But the talent is there. It’s incredible and it blows my mind how she’s able to do this. I’m really proud of her. This is something that I’ve always wanted her to be able to do. She loves it and she always has.”
With her next gallery within reach, Trish will continue to work as her husband looks into building her a bigger studio. Her windows overlook the backyard and the calm of the country is the perfect place to be creative.
“I live a really simple, quiet life. I started this at sixty, almost sixty one and I decided to have a career now,” Trish said. “It’s weird, I know, but God does amazing things doesn’t he? I started this and I decided this is what I’m meant to do and I’m going to push this and see where I can go with it.”
If you would like to view ‘How I See It’ by Trish Lewsader, you can visit The Link Gallery located at 132 South Central Avenue in Paris. Hours are Tuesday through Friday- 10:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m. They are closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday. If you can’t make it during the regular hours, you can give them a call at 217-466-8130 to schedule a visit. Trish’s work will be on display until February 10th.
