Lisa M. Shimko enjoyed her childhood in York County, Pennsylvania where she spent most of her time collecting rocks and exploring the terrain of forests and farms. Forms, colors, and textures of nature supplied hours of entertainment and therefore are a foundation of Lisaʼs artistic aesthetic. The simple graphic nature and bold colors found in her paintings harken back to the Pennsylvania German folk art found in Lisaʼs everyday life as a child.

Lisa moved to Philadelphia in 1990, earned a BFA in Painting and minored in Art Therapy at the University of the Arts. The urban landscapes of New York and Philadelphia supplied a new kind of nature for her to explore with the abundant histories, architecture and diverse cultures (food, music, etc.). Lisaʼs began showing her artwork on a regular basis in Philadelphia.

After spending 10 years in the urban world of the Northeast, Lisa decided to bring in the new Millennium with a new landscape. Hilton Head Island was her first South Carolina home where she continued to paint and display work. The art took on yet another nuance from the coastal savannah salt water surroundings.

Charleston, South Carolina has been Lisaʼs home since June 2006. The southern coastal culture and terrain mix with her past to assemble her ever evolving perspective. Lisa enjoys her studio in downtown Charleston.

“Lately the process of my art seems to be the important factor—letting a general mind-set of unguided imagery to surface onto the canvas, exactly letting the “absurdity” happen. I am releasing the need for a cognitive/coherent harnessing of an idea and letting the irrational nature of daydreaming be the guide.”

Born and raised in working-class Philadelphia, artistic talent has always pumped through John’s veins.  Frances Elaine Rockwell, John’s mother, was a talented painter who transferred her gifts onto her son. Her family’s artistic heritage, in fact, traces back to famed American artist Norman Rockwell – and John carries on the family tradition. John graduated from Tyler School of Art with a BFA in painting and graphic design.

Currently working out of a large backwoods warehouse in Philadelphia, John draws artistic inspiration from retro advertising, pop icons, B-movies, mid-century modernism, vintage signage and all things pop-culture. Forming a unique combination of silk-screening and hand painting, John creates paintings that are at once nostalgic and modern. Intense brush strokes, explosions of color, aggressive textures and juxtaposed images yield distinctive and recognizable canvases.