Lisa King

VIC, AUSTRALIA
#BOSWOMEN

Each BOSKEMPER collection is inspired by a beautiful city from somewhere around the world. We are inspired by the sights, smells, food, music & most of all its people. Our Creative Director meets so many inspiring, creative women on her travels & wanted to share their stories to help ignite your love for all the good things in life. Read through our chats with these incredible go-getters, whilst lusting over all their coveted must-haves (that we now, must have too) & learn about each cities hidden gems. Ultimately our #BOSwomen campaign is the modern woman's travel guide.

This large scale muralist, is an unstoppable force that we are completely in awe of… to comprehend such creativity & skill is so mind blowing! We needed to know more about the fascinating world of Lisa King. We sat down to chat all things fashion, art & life.

Tell us what you do.
I am a figurative painter working primarily within the public arts (Mural).

How did you get into this industry?
Brutally forced my way in, with far too much enthusiasm which was not that well received by the 'boys club'. I am self-taught but have had many mentors in traditional painting which has helped me a great deal in my practise overall.

What do you love most about being a woman in your area of business?
The ability to constantly prove people wrong when I get told “no” as a woman. Also, my female voice in a primarily male-dominated industry.

What did you dream of becoming when you were a little girl?
An artist.

Tell us about your creative process.
I generally delve into the archives of my mind when it comes to a narrative, I want to tell through my painting.... it usually ends up being an analogy which has most likely has come from my experiences/story personally. From here I build mood boards, figure out a strong colour palette, build loose sketches to get a visual understanding of placement & outcome overall & then take it into a photography studio where I have someone shoot the subject for photo reference. Once this is done, I manipulate & edit the images for the overall mood of the painting & colour reference. This is what I call the pre-production stage.

After this I do the actual physical building of the work. It usually tends to be large scale, so it requires many tens of litres of paint which are colour swatched & mixed. I also use primary colours & a large table for a palette as I tend to paint like a studio artist out there. Also depending on the surface of the wall… whether it is primed, un-primed, concrete, brick, render, plaster I have to use my science brain to investigate its porous nature & apply product that will neutralize the surface also it does not change the tonal values/temperature of my paint when drying. All of this is done using access equipment like scissor lifts & cherry pickers… another whole kettle of fish for another time.

5 things you can’t live without?
1. My pup.
2. My friends.
3. Coffee.
4. Black boots.
5. My guitar (even though I hardly play it).

What is on your bed side table?
Monstera plant, candle, book (Alla Prima, Everything I Know About Painting by Richard Schmid), a single stemmed daisy, incense & a 60's lamp.

How would you describe your style?
I recently got told Parisian Rock. Gulp.

What do you love most about your new city?
Diversity of food & wine, music, the arts, the cultural & social diversity (it made for a welcoming new hometown).

It’s a Friday night, where do you go for a cocktail?
The Everleigh for the best Whisky Sour. Extra cherry… all the cherries. Actually, just leave the jar.

Best hidden gem in Melbourne?
Upstairs at the Waiters Club - A Melbourne Institution for Italian food.

What’s on your Spotify repeat?
I'm Not in Love by Kelsey Lu.

What is your favourite Boskemper piece?
The Revolution Blazer in noir - it gives me so many feels.

Lisa wears our Twist & Shout Dress in Noir & Lune Dress in Noir.

@artoflisaking