Shock award for Caithness artist
A Caithness artist talked of her shock at receiving an award for a national competition she had forgotten she had entered.
Lisa Poulsen was informed that her artwork ‘A Safe Haven’, which was released as a limited edition print last year that has since sold out, has been selected as a winner of the Meta Morph Award 2024 (MMA).
Lisa said: “To be honest I had completely forgotten I’d applied, so it was a bit of a shock to see the congratulations email land in my inbox on Monday morning.
“Winning this award is really encouraging and hopefully encouraging for the growing number of budding artists choosing to embrace technology in their practice too.
“Digital art is a powerful medium to explore and express with. It’s refreshing to see so many awards and art institutions actively recognising digital artistry. Becoming one of their winners is quite something.”
The jury panel was made up of digital art curators and critics, prominent artists in the digital art community, tech industry leaders and innovators, and representatives from major art institutions such as the V&A and Sotheby’s.
According to the MMA team: "The Meta Morph Award is an award that celebrates the transformation and evolution of art in the digital age. We are passionate about recognising and honouring the innovative works created at the intersection of technology and creativity.
“Our mission is to champion the metamorphs of the art world, those artists and works that have undergone a process of change and growth, adapting to the ever-evolving landscape of modern art. By showcasing and celebrating the groundbreaking works in this field, we aim to inspire creativity and encourage artists to embrace the transformative power of technology in their artistic endeavours.”
Lisa says that she visualises “sky, sea and land” upon the surfaces of Caithness stone and this is integral to her work. Using photographs of this 400 million-year-old stone captured from beaches on mainland UK's most northerly coastline, she creates digital art that reveals “nature's ability to support our mental wellbeing”.
“I hope those viewing my work feel a greater sense of both the natural world around them, and in turn, themselves," she adds.
Talking about her winning piece, A Safe Haven, she says: "For me, this artwork's stone, view, and bothy all represent a safe haven.
“A place we can visit to get away from it all. A place where our coat of armour can slowly begin to shed. A place where tiny glimmers of hope, strength, joy and possibility can be nurtured. A place where a light can shine on our brighter days, and equally the dark. Because in time, this darkness can bring meaning to the bright. But only once a safe haven is found."
A Safe Haven was released online as a limited edition artwork but has since sold out. Lisa releases her latest work to her newsletter subscribers over a limited period of time. The number of orders received during her exclusive releases dictates the number of editions produced, so if five orders are placed, only five limited edition prints are produced before she marks the artwork as sold out, destroys the digital artwork files associated with the creation of it, and gets back to work on creating something new.
To be kept in the loop of future artwork releases by Lisa Poulsen, subscribe at: www.inspiredbycaithness.com/subscribe
Or visit Lisa’s website at: www.inspiredbycaithness.com
Lisa has also been invited to judge art entries at this weekend’s County Show and is looking forward to seeing some of the talent Caithness has to offer.
