about & news

AS A FINE ARTIST, I explore color. Using pouring medium to simplify the process of painting, for the past year I’ve focused on creating color palettes inspired by artists such as Francis Bacon, Edward Gorey, Hokusai, and Egon Shiele. My latest series of pour paintings is based on mid-century book cover art and vintage maps, and I continue work in my primary medium—oil. I can’t give up the smell of turpentine!

On the other side of the studio, I write and illustrate children’s books. Diversity in children’s literature is a current and important topic, and so I strive to represent a range of uniquenesses in my work—inside and out.

My debut picture book as author-illustrator, CAN I KEEP IT? with Page Street Kids (distributed by Macmillan) is due out the summer of 2019.

Please check back for publishing news and upcoming exhibitions. I’ll be adding a drawing portfolio to the website soon. Thanks for stopping by!

NEWS

picture book
CAN I KEEP IT?
written and illustrated by Lisa Jobe
publication date: July 2019
“Mom, if a frog follows me home, can I keep it?”
A boy is on a mission to find the perfect pet. When he asks to keep the animals that “follow” him home, his mom points
out that birds belong in the sky and frogs belong in the pond. In a heartwarming conclusion, the boy learns to walk in someone else’s shoes—or paws—and finds the perfect pet has been there all along.

Available at your local bookshop, Indiebound, Amazon, and Barnes&Noble.

"This gently humorous title imparts a useful and empathetic aspect to finding the perfect pet…[Can I Keep It?] imparts a powerful and important message as the child in the story is able to put himself in each animal’s place and contemplate its needs before his own desires." --Booklist, starred review

"A fun addition to any storytime collection." --School Library Journal, starred review

"Author/illustrator Jobe's watercolor, gouache, pastel, and digitally collaged illustrations inventively utilize negative and positive space." —Kirkus Reviews

"Encouraging empathy, a young boy's mother helps him seek a "better" pet for their home. Brilliantly inventive watercolor and collage illustrations." —Bank Street College of Education's THE BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2020 Edition, starred review

school visit
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION & DISCUSSION

September 2018

I presented a series of painting inspired by mid-century book covers to a group of Honors Art Students at a local high school. The first part of the presentation specifically related to paintings inspired by book covers designed by the artist, Edward Gorey, as the class was participating in the annual Edward Gorey Envelope Contest. Process and materials for creating the pour paintings were also covered and the presentation wrapped up with a Q&A session about being a working artist/creative.

gallery show
ILLUMINATION

Dec 1, 2017 - Jan 1, 2018
open everyday 11am-5pm
Show Celebration: Friday, Dec 1, 5-8pm

Gallery Blink
1963 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA

(map)

gallery show
WORDplay: art inspired by text

Sept 29 - Oct 22, 2017
open everyday 11am-5pm
Show Celebration: Friday, Oct 6, 5-8pm

Gallery Blink
1963 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA

(map)

"Art ‘speaks’ whether or not text is included, but in this show, the inspiration of the written language combined with the visual language of an artist makes for a compelling body of work. All the artwork has its own story to tell. It makes a good read."