The Crossover Between Art & Design
Lisa Grue is a Danish Illustrator and graphic designer. Renowned the world over for her assured brand of style of graphic art.
Lisa’s work is striking, adventurous and colourful, whilst being ultimately adaptable. Ms Grue’s art exudes an awareness of the necessary interplay and eventual melding of graphic and interior design. To put her vast skill set in perspective, along with being an artist, she is a graphic designer, art director and a stylist.
Lisa currently lives in Copenhagen, with her husband and fellow designer Denis Sytmen and son, Mika. She and Denis have a massive studio space in the old meatpacking district of Copenhagen, which is shared with 6 other creatives. Lisa considers working as a freelancer as a lifestyle more than a typical job. A typical day starts from when she wakes in the morning to whenever, depending on what the current job calls for. Lisa has created work for clients such as Nylon Magazine, fashion designer Anna Sui, Vogue and Ace Hotel NYC. She was also recently the recipient of a New Design Talent grant from the National Art Foundation of Denmark.
Lisa describes her work as a “sublime cocktail of zany ideas, superbly ambiguous humour, in-your-face attitude, and poetic femininity “. She says that her own desire to evolve and develop her style is essential. To challenge oneself with different techniques and to broaden your scope keeps your on your toes. A common thread throughout her work is the hands on approach. Whether it’s been drawn, painted, screen-printed or even embroidered it is mainly done by hand. Another recurring element in her work is pattern, often combined with a high contrast colour palette. Lisa says that she likes to work “in the crossover between art and design” citing fashion and the contemporary art scene as a great influence on her style.
Music is an essential part of Lisa’s creative process. “I always listen to music when I work. I could not work in silence. And then I drink a lot of tea and coffee latte. Of course I need different materials – but that depends on what kind of project I do. And I also need to have fun.” The eclecticism that is sought in the creation of a piece of art bares fruits in the final result.
As a well rounded creative, Lisa soaks up inspiration from wherever it lives. In addition to their freelance work Lisa and Denis run the Summer Will Be Back company. Summer Will Be Back is a new design company rooted in the Scandinavian design tradition. They interview and do photoshoots with leading architects, artists and designers. This provides another outlet for creatives to get noticed, whilst they soak up inspiration and network.
