Lisa Stokes' practice draws upon lived experience by exploring the fundamental themes of mental health issues, loss, memory and the journey of motherhood; the physical and emotional experiences when something is destroyed, forgotten or hidden. The work acts as an emotional compass, weaving together past and present emotions and events, decoding, revealing and reimagining the uncanny beneath the surface of the everyday. Employing the aesthetic vehemence of expressionism, Stokes combines contrasting mediums such as oil paint, oil pastel, ink and charcoal, weaving them together to create rich visceral textured surfaces. Her work offers a poignant and resonant narrative that speaks to the heart of the human condition.
After studying graphic design at college, Stokes worked as a Medical Artist at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London. Her work has been selected for various exhibitions including the BP Portrait Award: National Portrait Gallery, The Hunting Art Prize: Royal College of Art, the National Open Art competition (NOA), the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, the London Art Fair, the British Art Fair, Saatchi Gallery and Spinneri Art Fair, Leipzig, Germany. The Ruth Borchard Collection purchased two works for Ruth Borchard, The Next Generation Collection which includes works by Maggie Hambling, Celia Paul, David Bomberg and John Keane. Today, her work is in many private collections both in the UK and internationally.