Lisa Schulte

Neon is a unique and remarkable medium. It does not operate at a 2D or even 3D level. It is multi-dimensional alchemy. It is light extracted from air – and manifested into form. One could say that working in neon is akin to bringing sky to touch ground – harnessing the spiritual to the earth.

I have been blessed to work in this multi-dimensional medium for thirty years, creating works of light for others and expressing myself. Light, in one form or another, has been the only way I know how to express myself.I have always felt that light tells a story: it fills in the blanks, reveals the dimensions, and communicates feelings, but at some point in my work, something was missing for me in each piece I created. I had changed- and my world went dark - neon no longer filled in the blanks or communicated my feelings. My story was gone. It was if someone had turned the light switch off.

These neon pieces have evolved out of my personal struggle to move from darkness back into the light and to recreate my voice as an artist. Augustus Hare said, "Light when suddenly let in, dazzles and hurts and almost blinds us; but this soon passes away and it seems to become the only element we can exist in." This is absolutely true for me. Light -- dazzling, soft, dappled, and dripping from every surface and in every person, finally found its way back to me. Neon--extracted from the air, abundantly found in the universe, yet elusive on earth, is giving new vibrancy to my life, my art, and self again. To bend light, manipulate it, control it, and make it beautiful, when you once had the fear that it would never return to you, is truly a gift. My inspiration comes from the world around me and the transformative quality of light in and on land, sky, sea, and city. In the rightlight, seen from a certain angle, everything becomes extraordinary. I feel extraordinarily lucky to be able to devote myself to this work that brings illumination into a world truly in need of it.