Folk Art / Illustration Art
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Biography
"It's one thing to paint it, it's a whole other thing to get someone to pay for it"
Back at the Ontario College of Art and Design in the early 80's, when I graduated, an instructor commented, "Lisa - your stuff is so damn marketable!". I did not even paint back then. I graduated in 1983 in the graphic design department and what followed was a great 10 year career in some of Toronto's hottest design firms.
Package design, corporate communications, writing for business. We pioneered some of the best computer technology applied to design today on Macintosh and other computers, some the size of a large room, others the size of a brief case. However, it came down to the essence of creativity: garbage in- garbage out. A great idea with a pencil on a napkin at Wendy's beats a crappy idea with a million gig Mac any day of the week.
In 1995 I was laid off twice as an Account Director at 2 design firms. I had taken up painting in the evenings as a creative outlet to burn off the steam building up during the day. Turned out I wasn't bad at it. Using my design skills and conceptual thinking, I added in the skills I picked up as an account director and started selling my work. I found a niche market in the world of folk art, where you can get away with being funny, untrained and immature. I was three for three.
Several group shows later and with some success, I took a gallery space on Yonge street in Toronto with another folk art dealer. This became my studio and the well healed hair dresser clients downstairs proved to be a steady audience. Coming up with some innovative marketing ideas turned out to be second nature to me, such as latching on to the silent auction circuit for black tie charity events. The wealthy, idle women who ran these functions fell in love with the work. The second place bidders commissioned work.
Secondary projects have also been successful for me, such as the publishing of a children's book Rodeo Pup, by Doubleday (see www.rodeopup.ca), 4 Moose in the City, and corporate commissions including a Laura Secord Christmas Tin. Companies license my work for shirts, cards and other items.
Having the attention span of a flea, I seem to change careers every 4 years or so. In 2001, I became interested in antique silver and selling on eBay. Hitting the auction trail around Ontario and with the help of some very special mentors, I became a successful Power Seller on eBay and an expert in that venue. In 2005, the silver market petered out and the dollar was getting weaker. I began painting again, adding the use of the internet to my business model.
Recent projects include a large painting for the Toronto Fire Department, two paintings for the Maple Leaf Foods CEO boardroom. A full selling season is planned, with several retail outlets in Toronto.
Lisa Rotenberg
Office/Studio in Toronto:
128 Vine Avenue
Toronto Ontario Canada M6P 1V7
Phone:(416)762-6696
E-mail: thebidwatcher@hotmail.com Website: www.lisarotenberg.com
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