Hartford Faculty
Lisa Cyr
Lisa Cyr is an accomplished multidisciplinary artist and author with a content-driven approach. Her highly imaginative, fantasy-inspired works use layers of metaphor and allegory to stimulate curiosity, provoke thought and encourage further inspection. A poetic, rhythmic synthesis of drawing, painting, collage, assemblage and sculpture, Cyr's visually tactile, mixed-media work is composed to collectively create a new reality with a more expressive, symbolic arrangement. The artist's expansive visual vernacular and innovative use of alternative materials and approaches transcends mere technique, creating a dynamic pictorial idiom that is not only multidimensional but also multi-sensual.
A graduate from The Massachusetts College of Art (BFA) and Syracuse University (MA), Cyr's artistic oeuvre has been exhibited both nationally and internationally in museums, galleries, universities and at industry organizations, including traveling shows with the Society of Illustrators of New York and Los Angeles. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines, books and online, including features in Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art. In addition, Cyr's art is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of American Illustration as well as in private collections. She has authored seven books on art and design and writes for many of the creative industry's leading art publications, including Communication Arts, Applied Arts, The Artist’s Magazine, How, Step inside Design, ID, Alt Pick and many others. Her books and articles range from revealing issues that face the creative industry to profiling top talent in the business. In addition, Cyr speaks actively about successful promotional strategies, marketing opportunities and entrepreneurial endeavors for the creative industry and gives workshops on innovative, mixed media techniques at professional organizations, universities and trade conferences across the United States. She also teaches in several of the top MFA graduate programs in the country, including Hartford Art School where she teaches a class on promotional strategies. An artist member of the Society of Illustrators in New York City and the International Society of Experimental Artists, Cyr works in partnership with her husband Christopher Short, painter, 3D illustrator and animator.
