About and Artist Statement

Her BA in Latin and history from Randolph-Macon Woman's College (1977) allowed for a brief teaching career in Virginia and the Middle East, and then provided a solid basis to learn German while living in Austria.  A proponent of the liberal arts she has been an advocate for literacy and the arts, specifically music and drama, in her neighborhood schools. She considers her finest achievement to have raised three successful people.  Both her father's naval career and her husband's Marriott career allowed her to travel and live throughout the US, Europe and the Middle East.  Her love of photography has been enhanced by classes at Glen Echo Photoworks, Washington Art Works, and Montgomery College.

Currently residing in Maryland with her husband and their energetic corgi, Lisa's fascination with the daily nuances of the incredible nature in their community have given her a deep respect for the environment and a profound appreciation for the ordinary miracles that surround all of us. In this hectic world they are the much needed tonic for our souls.

Artist Statement:

The Magic of the Mundane

Through photography I comment on the seemingly mundane and ordinary which are, in fact, magnificent. These are the miracles of the everyday that surround us, if only we can allow ourselves the time to observe them. They are everywhere, every day and are the stuff that makes life worth living: the ever changing light, the weather, the tiniest bud and raindrop to full blooms, vistas - both grandiose and backyard, and occasionally creatures. One cannot improve on Mother Nature, only strive to capture her creations.

In Search of Arcadia - Photography Exhibition by Lisa Sieg and Mike Kuchinsky - June 2019

In ancient times a vision of an ideal place was conceived. It was one of rustic contentment, pastoral simplicity and happiness. This place was Arcadia. Today we continue to search for that bit of unspoiled nature for the promise of serenity, harmony and peace, a brief retreat or sanctuary from the pressures of daily life and society. Our search for “arcadia” becomes even more imperative in troubled times and this quest is, ironically, for a place that may be unattainable. 

These “arcadias” can be as individual as each person’s imagination, a matter of perception and interpretation as much as a traveling discovery. They hold the paradox of something that perhaps existed once upon a time, something remembered, something hoped for, longed for. They may be something completely natural or humanly created and perfected, something precious or something threatened, something solitary or something collective. And for some, the utopian aspects suggest a dystopian reality.

The hope for discovering that perfect place is evidenced by specific locales throughout our country and the world that attract multitudes of pilgrims, well-wishers, seekers and despisers.  The reality of these places as a personification of “arcadias” as beautiful, meaningful, spiritual, promising or decadent invariably shift when the needs and wants of their acolytes change.  

 Through our photography we have endeavored to share our unique visions of “arcadias” and comment on the ambiguities of such an ideal. The exhibition suggests that there may be something universally human in our desire to focus on visions that are either better than current conditions or offer a different lens to view them. The very pursuit can help bring on harmony and community with the promise of “arcadia.”

 These photographs fall into several themes:  

·      the historically real or romanticized places which suggest religious or secular, the commonplace or the esoteric; 

·      the symbolic that address visions and concepts almost synonymous with arcadia – peace, harmony, community; 

·      the experience and/or the cultivation of natural beauty or innocence; 

·      disillusionment in the search for arcadia express fleeting and dystopian impressions. 

Some of the photographs blur the lines hosting more than one theme. 

Time Out - Photography and Oil Paintings by Lisa and Patrick Sieg. - July 2018

Our art shares a unique and collaborative view of the world outside. Oil paintings (by Patrick Sieg) and photographs (by Lisa Sieg) often meld into one another focusing a symbiotic lens on a specific scene, element or a feeling to portray how extraordinary nature is. 

 Our hope is to make the viewer feel that they have actually stepped to a place far from hectic schedules, traffic, city and suburban pressures and busy-ness, and become attuned to these sanctuaries that can be moments or a short drive away and are all around us: in the nearby parks, neighborhoods, and gardens, our own yards or a container garden on a step.

Memories of favorite spaces and places are also momentary retreats and can be conjured up by a suggestion in nature – a leaf in a creek can flow to the sea and beyond, the morning mist to fog in Maine. Billowing clouds, ever changing light, fresh grass, rustling leaves, buzzing, soaring, and lowing creatures, nature’s perfections and imperfections are all around us. Noticing them takes us beyond ourselves and for a brief time, our worries.

 Nature has incredible power impacting our attitudes, our lives, our perspectives. In our fast-paced world, awareness, observation and respect for the environment is needed now more than ever, a necessity for turbulent times and a restorative tonic for the soul. Log off, put down your phone and step outside. Look up, look down, look all around, feel the air, notice the small stuff, breathe. Truly a great escape in a matter of moments. TIME OUT for your mind, body and soul.  Thank you for coming to our show.

 Color palette provided by Mother Nature. 

 Patrick and Lisa Sieg, along with their energetic corgi (who insures that they go out in all kinds of weather), currently reside in beautiful Montgomery County (where the majority of this body of work is focused) after a nomadic life. They are passionate supporters of the arts and active members in several arts communities, including the Rockville Art League, the Yellow Barn Studio and Gallery and Gallery 209 at Artists & Makers Studios 2.