Painting has always been one of the highest forms of expression, and throughout the years, many have sought solace by picking up a pen or a brush, using memories and passing thoughts to bring their vision to life.

One of these talented individuals is Lisa Edelstein. Aside from being one of Hollywood’s shining stars, she is known for her roles in “House”, “The Good Doctor”, “Girlfriend’s Guide To Divorce”, “The Kominsky Method” and most recently, “Little Bird.” Amongst her many shining achievements, Edelstein put her stamp on the art world, this time as an artist on the rise. Recently, she opened an exhibition at the Anat Ebgi Gallery with an exhibition of her paintings collectively called The Den.

Edelstein has always shown an immense love for the arts as a child. While she may be known as an accomplished actress, she also loved to sketch and draw, ‘It’s been so nice to have drawing and painting back in my life in such a profound way. As a kid, I spent enormous amounts of time drawing whatever was closest to me. And coloring with markers was a pastime well into high school. But painting was a whole other beast.’

After many years, Edelstein revisited painting during the lockdown, picking up her brush after finding the inspiration to start again and letting herself indulge in the emotion and freedom she had at that time. That was when she realized she had another way to shape and create narratives however she wished.

In her adult life, there was never a time that the arts and its tastemakers did not surround her. Since the 80s, she rubbed shoulders with columnists, film producers, and even god-like artists such as Andy Warhol and his crowd from The Factory. 30 years later, Edelstein’s creative roots continue to grow and develop in new ways.

Her husband is the incredibly talented Robert Russell, and her circle of friends consists of a group of well-to-do artists, such as Andrea Bowers, Edgar Arceneaux and Charles Gaines. “ My husband is such an incredible artist, as are many of our friends, and I had some of the most incredible studio visits from the get-go.” She recalls specific memories that stuck with her during the development stage of her paintings, ‘ Andrea and Charles fought over whether one should study the colour chart or just work instinctively.’ At the same time, Edgar and I discussed my sourcing of images. ‘ But for Edelstein, it wasn’t about making her hobby into a new career. It was about committing to turn a hobby into a real visual practice that resonated with her identity. Developing her signature style, however, took years of practice and learning from experiments, which eventually developed into what we see now. ‘I began with markers, something I’d loved as a kid and had revisited in my twenties. But as my images became more complex and grew, I kept running out of ink. So I switched to marker refill ink and began to paint with that. I liked working with watercolour paper because the texture is beautiful, and I liked the way the ink moved. But the images grew in size again, and ink didn’t easily travel across the paper. That’s when I decided to try watercolour instead.’

If you look at Edelstein’s watercolour series at Anat Ebgi, there you will see that the artist has decided to take us back through a time capsule of emotions that is both informal, relatable, and less complex compared to the world we live in now. When or how she found the inspiration to create The Den, it surprisingly hits close to home.

Her well of inspiration came in the form of family photo albums and home movies from the 1970s. Edelstein acquired these albums and videos when she moved her parents to Los Angeles. In this treasure trove were astonishing images of trips to Fire Island. These family gatherings generated ‘salad day’ nostalgia, grandmothers and aunts in brightly coloured knits and teens enjoying one of the first editions of Diet Pepsi while sitting around a bong, basking in the sunlight. The Den gave us a glimpse of the Edelstein family at ease and a journey back in time.

“What I loved about the old film pictures were the caught moments, the unposed, the pictures that revealed unintended narrative. People saved all their photos since they were expensive to develop. So there were incredible little gifts in that massive pile.”

In her creative process, Edelstein sought to navigate this series by prioritizing scenes, stories, and narratives to drive her compositions. During the lockdown, The mid-70s heralded a revolution in making home movies through increased access to portable, easy-to-operate cameras and video equipment. A pair of works, Home Movie: New Camera and Memory,, depict amateur photographers' enthusiasm—burgeoning family documentarians pointing their cameras at each other—capturing the moment.

Edelstein’s mindset has always been on the forefront of creative innovation. Upon asking her whether painting and acting will eventually intersect on her journey, she candidly replied that it’s all about creating an empathetic response. ‘It’s so close to acting, for me the goal is for people to see themselves or someone they know in the work.

On a personal level, Edelstein’s Then Den struck another level of storytelling that takes us through a cloistered cosiness and warmth. It is a metaphorical rendition of a place With a less-defined purpose than a kitchen or bedroom, with many interpretations and possibilities — as a protected nook to be totally at peace. ‘It’s deeply intimate even when I don’t know the subjects. There is always a story in the images that I hope penetrates the viewer’s imagination.’

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Cyan Dacasin is a lifestyle journalist and editor with bylines in LA Weekly, Vingt Sept Magazine, The Los Angeles Tribune and more. She held the position of Managing Editor of Mr Warburton Media under media personality, Derek Warburton. Aside from that, she was the lifestyle editor for British Thoughts Magazine under photographer Zainea Alexandrou.

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