ABOUT ARTIST
LISA J. CRONER
My artwork explores how humans interact with nature. The medium I currently use most often is charcoal powder in fluids on canvas.
My works using this medium are a record of one human -- myself -- interacting with nature, with nature present in the physical process of charcoal moving in fluid. Sometimes this natural process builds the image, and other times I build the image. Each work is a record of this interaction.
A second theme in my artwork is uncertainty – in particular, how humans handle uncertainty. I often work with the physical process on the canvas to build images that evoke uncertainty. The images lie between chaos (where it is not clear what might be represented) and perceptual coherence (where there are a few hints about representation). This borderland between chaos and coherence is an interesting place. It seems relevant to how we interact with nature.
Raised in a creative family, I’ve balanced interests in science and art my whole life. I had a full career in scientific research, working in both academics (neurophysiology of primate vision) and biotechnology (extracting signal from complex, noisy datasets; artificial intelligence). I began to ramp up my art practice about 15 years ago, and found that insights gained in science unfolded into my artwork. That started me on the path to using charcoal in fluid as a model for nature-human interactions, and it also led me to focus on uncertainty. It has been an interesting journey.
My work is represented in private collections around the world and has been shown throughout California. My studio is in San Diego, California. I have degrees in both Art and Biology (BA Art and BA Biology, UC Santa Cruz; PhD Biophysics, Rockefeller University), and am currently an MFA candidate at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Selected Group Exhibitions
Recent shows:
2025, Jan 26 - March 9 "Form and Shadow" PHES, Carlsbad, CA
2025, Jan 13 - March 1 "FIG: 15 Years" Art Produce, San Diego, CA
2024 “Flora and Fauna” Techne Art Center, Oceanside, CA
Past shows:
2021 “Friends” Studio C Gallery, El Cajon, CA
2019 “In Plain Sight” Schaefer Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2019 “Digital Aura” Fort Mason Atrium Gallery, San Franciso, CA
2019 “Sages and Pinnacles” Schaefer Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2019 “Recovecos I” Fort Mason Atrium Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2019 “Concentrate” Fort Mason Atrium Gallery, San Francisco, CA