Original Paintings on Paper

Spring has sprung onto paper at Lisa Palombo Studios!!!

"Iris Sorbet", 18" x 12", acrylic on paper

You may have noticed my new Etsy shop. This is where I have recently featured my acrylic paintings on paper. Why has this longtime, die-hard oil painter now found herself painting with acrylics? Well there is no simple answer except that last summer I started painting artist embellishments with acrylic on my giclee canvases and... LOVED it! Acrylic paint is very different from oil. Pigments have a wide variety and they dry FAST! 

Acrylic paints have come a long way since the last time I used it 20+ years ago. They are completely archival, meaning the colors will not fade in sun light exposure. I have been using Golden Acrylics, which offers a wide variety of pigments and fluid consistencies. I also use 140 lb. watercolor paper for a support and will start painting on canvas too in the near future.

"Sunflower Celebration", 19" x 13",  acrylic on paper,  detail

To my oil collectors, don’t worry, I haven’t deserted oils. In fact, I have been bouncing between the two. Teaching workshops this winter in my studio and doing demos at art centers has my brush in two pots, sort of speak.

This spring there are several exhibitions where you can see my new acrylics on paper including my annual Spring Open Studio (May 5 & 6). Be sure to mark your calendars. Details are below...

Not in the NJ? Well, there is my Etsy Shop and website. Don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or requests.

"Orange Water Lilies", 22" x30", acrylic on paper

"Sunset Water Lilies" 22" x 30", acrylic on paper, detail

April 3 - Women's Club of Glen Ridge, Exhibition, Luncheon & Presentation 
(11:30am-2pm) "Presby Iris Garden - a local Legend since 1927"  
Women's club of Glen Ridge, 219 Ridgewood Ave., Glen Ridge, NJ 973-748-5459.

April 3 - Evening art exhibition reception, meet the artists (7pm-9pm) -  
Women's club of Glen Ridge, 219 Ridgewood Ave., Glen Ridge, NJ 973-748-5459. more information and reservations

April 18 - ReFocus on Art, Exhibition and Sale 
(7-10pm) New Jersey Arts Incubator, 495 Prospect Avenue,West Orange, NJ. 
100 Pieces of Art for 100 Years! Celebrate the NCJW/Essex centennial at this 
special one-night-only fundraising event! A special evening of cocktails, 
hors d'oeuvres and art for sale, including flat art, fine glass, fine crafts, 
and outdoor sculpture. $50 in advance, members and nonmembers; 
$75 at the door (if available). more information and reservations or contact ncjw@ncjwessex.org 

May 5 & 6 - Spring Open Studio (12pm-5pm)
55 Mountain Ave., Caldwell, NJ (973) 364-0280
This is our 11th annual Spring Open Studio show. 
Come join us in my studio for a weekend of fine art 
and yummy treats. We look forward to seeing you there!  
directions to the studio

Reeves Reed Arboretum Receives a Special Donation

Gayle Petty-Johnson, director of RRA and Ruby Faust

I am so proud of my six year old daughter. Last October the east cost had a terrible early snow storm that damaged much of the area. Our favorite arboretum, Reeves Reed Arboretum was especially hit hard. My six year old daughter, Ruby decided she wanted to help out. At my last annual Holiday Open Studio she exhibited some of her paintings and quietly asked for a small donation towards "saving the trees" at the Reeves Reed Arboretum in return for a piece of her art. How could I say no? 

Pictured here is Ruby presenting her donation can along with $60 to the Reeves Reed director, Gayle Petty- Johnson. Below is what Ms. Petty-Johnson wrote in a recent E-Newsletter. If you'd like to make a donation to the Reeves Reed Arboretum click here.

From the director at Reeves Reed Arboretum:

At this time of year, the spirit of giving is a wonderful tradition. The Board of Trustees and Staff are grateful for the support and dedication of so many members, volunteers, donors and friends.  This year, in particular, has had its challenges and we truly recognize the value of your commitment to Reeves-Reed Arboretum. 

Every gift has made a difference, but I wanted to share with you a recent donation by a very young philanthropist, six year old Ruby Faust.  Ruby is the daughter of artist Lisa Palombo.  The Arboretum has been the inspiration for many of her mother's paintings and evidently Ruby is also inspired.  At a recent open studio of her mother's, Ruby arranged a display of her drawings and set out a coffee can decorated with flowers and trees and a sign inviting people to take one of her drawings and place a donation to bring back the trees at Reeves-Reed Arboretum.  Ruby raised more than $60 - quite a sum for such a young artist - and brought her can of donations to us last week.  It is generosity like Ruby's, gifts large and small, that we celebrate and acknowledge during this season of giving.

Gayle Petty-Johnson, Executive Director

My NEW Gift Book!

My new gift book, "LISA PALOMBO, American Impressionist" is here just in time for the Holidays!

Hardcover 12"x12", 80 pages and 66 full color paintings. Foreword by Nita Leland, Introduction by Jana Martin. Contact the studio for a signed copy $120 art@lisapalombo.com

Lisa Palombo by Lisa Palombo, Nita Leland, Jana Martin |

Artist interview

Recently Joanne Van Zuidam interviewed me for the Caldwell Patch. We talk about where I live/paint for the past 10 years (Caldwell NJ), color and my daughter's Crayola crayons.

Whether she's painting en plein air, or sketching a still life in her Caldwell studio, artist Lisa Palombo masterly captures the colors, light and contours of her subject—which is usually flowers. Her signature style: brushstrokes of bold, beautiful florals, such as lush peonies, glorious roses, and stunning black-eyed susans....Click on Caldwell Patch to read more.



photo by Peter Jacobs



The Bounty Hunter

Columbia Pictures is releasing "The Bounty Hunter" starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler on March 19th. Look for my painting "White Peonies" in the movie!

Reeves Reed Rose Garden

One of my favorite gardens, the Reeves Reed Arboretum has roses still in bloom! My favorite model and I headed out this morning with digital camera and picnic basket.

Although famous for it's roses the arboretum is open year round with a calendar on it's website listing what's in bloom. To find out more about the arboretum please click on this link, Reeves Reed Arboretum.

Peony Garden

I had the pleasure of visiting Kathleen Gagan's Peony Garden recently in Berndardsville, NJ. It is such a heavenly hideaway with lots of tree peonies and herbacious varieties. She also has many irises and a few red chickens roaming the property. At the moment the herbacaious peonies are in full bloom!

The garden is open to the public from 11 am- 5pm from May 1st-June 15th. Visit her website for more information. I plan on painting, plein air there next week and breathing in all the delicious perfumed peony aromas.

Thursday in the Presby Garden with Lisa

I was painting all day at the Presby Garden. What a wonderful plein air trip! The irises are almost fully bloomed. I huge difference from two days ago.

When I got back to my studio a very gracious lady had emailed me this photo, entitled, "Thursday in the Presby Garden with Lisa." Thank you Emily K.!
I am already looking forward to my next plein air excursion at the Presby Memorial Gardens again next week on Tuesday, May 26th.

Studio Photos

We recently took photos of my spacious studio gallery for our 2009 brochure. I am a truly happy artist when I paint in my studio. I have the all important coveted north light when working on my easel and lots of nature to watch out my windows. For those of you who are ever in the Northern NJ area, please feel free to make a studio visit. We are located 30 minutes from NYC.

Painting Plein Air

Painting en plein air this morning at the Presby Memorial Gardens in Montclair, NJ was a real treat!!! A nice lady took this photo of me.

I was able to finish this small 8x10 painting in one sitting. For more information on how you can join our June Workshop and learn how to paint quickly too, click on this link -

art classes.

Recent Interview on Blogtalkradio

Last Saturday, I was interviewed on a live blogcast called, Transformation Education Live, hosted by Dr. Kathy King. Dr. King writes on her blog, "As another fine example of learning across the lifetime and inspiration for transformation- Lisa Palombo, the fine artist, provides a compelling interview in the talkshow interview format about her work. Listen in as we find out about her work, field questions from a collector who phones in and get an inside look."

Click here to hear the interview on BlogTalkRadio, Lisa Palombo Interview.

Studio Paints

Today, I realized that whenever I have one of my annual Open Studio events, I have my studio organized and neat... paints are put away, brushes are tucked in closets, and even my Greenwich easel is rolled out to the garage... then comes out the table clothes and champagne!

So for all of you that haven't seen my insanity. Here's a glimpse of how I work.

This was inspired by Gillian, who speaks of her love for art supplies. I evidently love to buy paint!

Wildflowers - why I love them so...

Wildflowers and Dandelions 12"x9" oil on linen
private collection

Most people dismiss the simple beauty of a wildflower. But if you look closely, you'll discover a world of intricate detail, splendor, and magic in a bouquet of these flowers. Every day I try to capture this essence in my paintings, and I approach this concept in two ways. First, I believe painting small flowers on a large scale amplifies their quiet beauty. Second, I have found the practice of placing wildflowers in a lovely antique vase elevates the everyday to a sophisticated level of elegance.

The artists I admire most are Van Gogh and Sargent for their brushstrokes, Janet Fish for her perseverance, and the California Impressionists for their palette.

I prefer to paint in oil on a fine-grade Belgium linen, because its tight weave provides a consistent surface yet is strong enough to sustain reworking with a palette knife. The durability of oil on linen also guarantees my paintings will endure for centuries, which is important to me and my collectors.

The inspiration for my paintings comes from my garden, where I grow a wide variety of wildflowers. Sometimes my neighbors and friends also offer flowers from their gardens. I like to paint from live models, so my compositions are determined by the blooming schedules of peonies, dandelions, poppies, pussy willows, lilies, and violets, among others. I stretch my own canvases, framing a selection of my paintings in hand-carved frames. After I have arranged a still life, I sketch the basics of the composition in pencil directly on the canvas. I then apply paint where I believe the focus of the composition lies and build the painting outward from that point, working the entire canvas one layer of paint at a time. A painting can take weeks to complete, depending upon the size of the canvas.

Painting wildflowers is not only my passion but also a part of my life path, urging me to appreciate the beauty of the simplest aspects of nature. I hope my paintings convey this same message to my collectors. If so, I would consider my life's work a success.