Twig Lips is a New York City based artist. Self-taught, she has been painting since 2017 transforming canvas with ink, acrylic, and watercolor. Her work has been shown in galleries across NYC.
Her moniker is derived from the original source of her inspiration for painting. She began painting lips – which eventually evolved into her signature flowers that have remained an important part of her artwork. To begin her creative process, she compliments her mood with music. She credits the music she chooses, which can span all genres and decades, with allowing each painting to flow in its own unique way.
Twig Lips’ goal is to convey balance. Balance is achieved with a combination of bold ink spots and her intricate flowers. The flowers draw influence from 18th Century Japanese and Chinese porcelain. She cites the bright colors present in her work as a reflection of modern interior design, graffiti and architecture.
Can you remember an instance when you first knew you were a creative person? What were you doing?
Twig Lips: When I was a kid, in my neighborhood there was one part of the street lined with rocks. My brother, sister and I would draw pictures on the rocks then throw them back. I’m not sure if I completely realized at the time I was being creative, but I did know my pictures were way cooler than my siblings (or maybe that’s just classic sibling rivalry)
While I was in middle school, I was really into fashion design and would mock up drawings of wedding dresses and outfits. They were really simple but I did find it very cathartic to just sit down and doodle.
Once I got to high school, I had a really wonderful art teacher who encouraged me to challenge myself more artistically, specifically in ceramics and taught me how to translate what was in my mind into something tangible.
How would you describe your work and where do you think it fits within the sphere of contemporary art?
Twig Lips: I would describe my work as eclectic, abstract and delicate. The colors I use are carefully chosen and mostly minimal. I hope that my work can be seen as universal – whether that is in galleries or any kind of home.
What is your chosen medium and what are your techniques?
Twig Lips: I paint on canvas – mainly using acrylic and ink. I love the consistency and sheen that ink provides. I’ve also incorporated plaster to achieve different textures. I usually start with any larger shapes and textures, then progressively work on the finer details like the flowers. I make sure to take my time to guarantee I am satisfied and be sure the piece is complete. At times there is a week or two between when I even touch or add to the painting. It’s important for me to really be in the right mood and motivated – I never want to feel like the work I am doing is forced or rushed.
Lips are an important part of your art signature, even your artistic name. Why is that so?
Twig Lips: In my adult life, I felt my lack of creativity in my daily routine. I got a tiny notebook and some cheap watercolors to try and fill that void. The first images I painted were of lips. I have gap teeth so I always found that fun and easy to draw. From there, I slowly started expanding into portraits until finally I found my true love for abstract.
No matter what I’m doing, I’m listening to music, so naturally I thought I should have a cool name to go with my art, like a band name. Twig Lips became my moniker stemming from the beginning of my painting journey – and honestly, I just think it sounds cool. Haha!
Who/what inspires you artistically? What artists do you admire?
Twig Lips: Inspiration comes in many forms of art for me – painting, sculptures, architecture, interior design, and nature.
I am fond of the Japanese painters Saburo Hasegawa and Takeo Yamaguchi.
The sculptures of Isamu Noguchi are truly breathtaking. My love for combining natural colors, ceramic, and clay tones into my artwork is influenced heavily from his works. Another sculptor that is creating beautiful sculptures is . The curved yet sharp forms in her vessels are really astounding.
My signature flowers, which you will see in virtually all of my paintings, initially were similar to the forms of antique Chinese blue and white porcelain. As my (style, process, technique) develops They have since taken on a whole new life of their own. The bouquets from have inspired the colors of my flowers – they are works of art themselves!
There are a few interior designers whose work I follow on Instagram that have minimal, yet powerful designs that I tend to note little elements of and reflect that in my work. My current favorites are Athena Calderone (), Colin King (), Leanne Ford () and A Vier Sechs ().
What themes would you say your work deals with?
Twig Lips: When I start a new painting, I have a very vague idea of what I’m going to do. I choose my colors ahead of time so I have some clarity of what will happen. My paintings are intuitive to me, and what comes out is a product of what I feel balances the painting until it’s complete. The moods of my painting are directly influenced by the music I’m listening to at the time (and a lot of the titles of my paintings are lyrics).
Tell me what your role looks like right now, what’s your main focus at the moment?
Twig Lips: Right now, with the world being in such an odd, difficult, sad place, I think the main focus above anything is taking care of yourself and doing what makes you happy. I’m truly lucky that my passion is art and I am able to have this outlet to keep creating while the world heals.
When it comes to being an artist, do you feel that being self-taught is an advantage or a disadvantage? Do you ever wish you had professional training?
Twig Lips: I don’t necessarily have a preference! My path into the art world just so happened to be self-taught. I have received great advice and guidance from fellow artists, curators, and gallerists in NYC and LA who continue to educate me on some of the things I may have known had I gone to school for it.
As I continue to create, I continue to explore new techniques and just try random new things, which is exciting to me.
Tell us something we don’t know about you yet:
Twig Lips: I have a cat named Meatloaf – he’s a very good boy and doesn’t walk on my wet paintings!
How can people follow your news?
Twig Lips: Follow me on Instagram! You can find me . My website is also regularly updated – www.twiglips.com. Feel free to reach out to me and say hello! 🙂