"It felt like the walls were breathing & that quality inspired me to start SweetBrush Productions." shared Thriving Artist Alliance client, real estate investor & artist, Lisanne Libner. "Dad was American & Mom Swiss so as a child we spent the school year in Connecticut & summers in Switzerland. Italy was 20 minutes away. The frescos, villages and farm houses all had these plaster walls - they were so beautiful. I was fascinated."
LA: Tell us a bit more about your artistic journey
Lisanne: I got my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Clark University in Worcester, MA and moved to Denver in 1992. My last "real" job in the corporate world was working as the Director of Telecommunications at Berger Funds. I'd take faux finishing work for friends on the side. It was 2 things really that converted me to a full-time artist; I discovered joint compound and I met interior designer Rhonda Hiatt.
Everything here in the US is so new but when I discovered joint compound I realized I could recreate that same feeling of breathability & luminescence that I'd experienced in Europe. Rhonda loved my work & promised that she could keep me busy full time doing my art. So I made the leap & went to work with Rhonda. She was an amazing friend & mentor, teaching me how to stay calm, relaxed and focused as I strove for perfection in working with our clients. Working with Rhonda gave me the confidence to be an artist & a business women."
Then in 2003 my Dad got sick so I chose to move back to Connecticut to care for him & my life took another turn. I began managing some commercial properties Dad had. It was three years of caring for Dad but when he passed I missed Colorado everyday - in 2007 I returned to Denver.
LA: We'll get into the real estate side of your life in the next blog installment. For now tell me more about SweetBrush. Where does your inspiration come from?
Lisanne: I've recently rented space inside The Collection at 9th & Broadway to sell my furniture pieces. I still take private clients and I'm teaching classes on some of the faux finish techniques I've created, most of which were born of mistakes. Like one day I was working on a Venetian plaster piece for a client & I spilled my coffee on it. Where the big pool of spill was didn't look so good but where it splattered was very cool. Out of that accident came my "signature" joint compound with coffee technique. I'm inspired by the work of McKenzi-Childs too.
Once we are moved into the new house I'll have a home studio. In September I plan to offer classes in; Venetian plaster, furniture refinishing, relief stencil and burlap as canvas. The burlap as canvas creates such an interesting texture and can be used to create framable art or even to cover walls.
LA: In the first part of this blog you shared your journey as an artist and business owner. Would you share with us a bit about your real estate investing & how you balance it with your art?
Lisanne: I have 2 rental houses, 1 here & 1 back in Connecticut, I'm still managing the commercial properties and I've just bought a live/work home in Lakewood so soon I'll convert my current home into a rental once we've moved to the new place. As for achieving balance - I've discovered it works best for me to segment by whole days. So some days I only make art or work creatively and other days I do the administrative work for my real estate. I found it very difficult to switch hats, you know, spend 2 hours working on admin stuff then spend a few hours creating. So if I start with art in the morning then that's what I do all day. If I start with admin stuff then that's my day.
LA: What advice would you give other creatives thinking about investing in real estate?
Lisanne: I found my leases on LegalZoom.com. Their documents are pretty thorough, its easy and inexpensive. Over the years I've modified them to include things that have come up particular to situations with my renters. I know being a landlord isn't for everyone so if you don't that job then hire a property manager. I do spend time managing my properties and that works for me but may not be for everyone. Sometimes it makes sense to spend a little bit of your income from the property to get the freedom you want as an artist.
LA: We met when you called from one of my listings on the internet. You were looking for a property with a good amount of land, a small house and the ability to grow food, keep chickens and maybe even horses. At the time you didn't know about Thriving Artist Alliance or my specialties in working with creatives and live/work properties. What are you envisioning for your new home?
Lisanne: It's no accident how we met!! I didn't know about your affiliation with the Thriving Artis Alliance and your specialties...but what kismet that we had been put together. You helped us find the most charming 3 bed/1 bath place. It sits on 17,000 soft lot, has a 2-car detached garage with a small studio space attached, raised garden beds, and a 2-stall barn. So I'll be letting my rented studio go and moving SweetBrush operations to my new home. We are thinking of building an additional building/studio apartment along the NW line of the paddock, adding more food growing gardens, and we'll be getting some chickens. Meeting you under the circumstances of looking for homes was just the tip of the iceberg. The enthusiasm that you brought to the search of our new home and the interest that you showed in our needs, wants, desires made the whole process fun and enjoyable. I loved it when we started to quickly gel, and know what houses worked and what houses didn't. I'll never forget the time I somehow found a house on a lake in Wheat Ridge that was way out of my price range, but I wanted to see it anyway -- and you joyfully took me there. What I like best about getting to know you is your very easy spirit. You love to learn and you have a very sacred talent - you listen with attentive skill and compassionate understanding. Your sense of humor is amazing and you have what it takes to get people home. House hunting with you is an art form in and of itself.
LA: Lisanne, thank you so much for taking the time to share with us about your life and art. I'd like to let readers know we'll be doing a Thriving Artist Potluck at Lisanne's house in the Highlands sometime soon - so keep a look out for that invitation.
To learn more about Lisanne's classes, see beautiful examples of her work and see furniture she has for sale go to her web site:
http://www.sweetbrush.com/
Lisanne Libner
LA: Tell us a bit more about your artistic journey
Lisanne: I got my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Clark University in Worcester, MA and moved to Denver in 1992. My last "real" job in the corporate world was working as the Director of Telecommunications at Berger Funds. I'd take faux finishing work for friends on the side. It was 2 things really that converted me to a full-time artist; I discovered joint compound and I met interior designer Rhonda Hiatt.
Everything here in the US is so new but when I discovered joint compound I realized I could recreate that same feeling of breathability & luminescence that I'd experienced in Europe. Rhonda loved my work & promised that she could keep me busy full time doing my art. So I made the leap & went to work with Rhonda. She was an amazing friend & mentor, teaching me how to stay calm, relaxed and focused as I strove for perfection in working with our clients. Working with Rhonda gave me the confidence to be an artist & a business women."
Then in 2003 my Dad got sick so I chose to move back to Connecticut to care for him & my life took another turn. I began managing some commercial properties Dad had. It was three years of caring for Dad but when he passed I missed Colorado everyday - in 2007 I returned to Denver.
LA: We'll get into the real estate side of your life in the next blog installment. For now tell me more about SweetBrush. Where does your inspiration come from?
Lisanne: I've recently rented space inside The Collection at 9th & Broadway to sell my furniture pieces. I still take private clients and I'm teaching classes on some of the faux finish techniques I've created, most of which were born of mistakes. Like one day I was working on a Venetian plaster piece for a client & I spilled my coffee on it. Where the big pool of spill was didn't look so good but where it splattered was very cool. Out of that accident came my "signature" joint compound with coffee technique. I'm inspired by the work of McKenzi-Childs too.
Once we are moved into the new house I'll have a home studio. In September I plan to offer classes in; Venetian plaster, furniture refinishing, relief stencil and burlap as canvas. The burlap as canvas creates such an interesting texture and can be used to create framable art or even to cover walls.
LA: In the first part of this blog you shared your journey as an artist and business owner. Would you share with us a bit about your real estate investing & how you balance it with your art?
Lisanne: I have 2 rental houses, 1 here & 1 back in Connecticut, I'm still managing the commercial properties and I've just bought a live/work home in Lakewood so soon I'll convert my current home into a rental once we've moved to the new place. As for achieving balance - I've discovered it works best for me to segment by whole days. So some days I only make art or work creatively and other days I do the administrative work for my real estate. I found it very difficult to switch hats, you know, spend 2 hours working on admin stuff then spend a few hours creating. So if I start with art in the morning then that's what I do all day. If I start with admin stuff then that's my day.
LA: What advice would you give other creatives thinking about investing in real estate?
Lisanne: I found my leases on LegalZoom.com. Their documents are pretty thorough, its easy and inexpensive. Over the years I've modified them to include things that have come up particular to situations with my renters. I know being a landlord isn't for everyone so if you don't that job then hire a property manager. I do spend time managing my properties and that works for me but may not be for everyone. Sometimes it makes sense to spend a little bit of your income from the property to get the freedom you want as an artist.
LA: We met when you called from one of my listings on the internet. You were looking for a property with a good amount of land, a small house and the ability to grow food, keep chickens and maybe even horses. At the time you didn't know about Thriving Artist Alliance or my specialties in working with creatives and live/work properties. What are you envisioning for your new home?
Lisanne: It's no accident how we met!! I didn't know about your affiliation with the Thriving Artis Alliance and your specialties...but what kismet that we had been put together. You helped us find the most charming 3 bed/1 bath place. It sits on 17,000 soft lot, has a 2-car detached garage with a small studio space attached, raised garden beds, and a 2-stall barn. So I'll be letting my rented studio go and moving SweetBrush operations to my new home. We are thinking of building an additional building/studio apartment along the NW line of the paddock, adding more food growing gardens, and we'll be getting some chickens. Meeting you under the circumstances of looking for homes was just the tip of the iceberg. The enthusiasm that you brought to the search of our new home and the interest that you showed in our needs, wants, desires made the whole process fun and enjoyable. I loved it when we started to quickly gel, and know what houses worked and what houses didn't. I'll never forget the time I somehow found a house on a lake in Wheat Ridge that was way out of my price range, but I wanted to see it anyway -- and you joyfully took me there. What I like best about getting to know you is your very easy spirit. You love to learn and you have a very sacred talent - you listen with attentive skill and compassionate understanding. Your sense of humor is amazing and you have what it takes to get people home. House hunting with you is an art form in and of itself.
LA: Lisanne, thank you so much for taking the time to share with us about your life and art. I'd like to let readers know we'll be doing a Thriving Artist Potluck at Lisanne's house in the Highlands sometime soon - so keep a look out for that invitation.
To learn more about Lisanne's classes, see beautiful examples of her work and see furniture she has for sale go to her web site:
http://www.sweetbrush.com/
Lisanne Libner
