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Arts & Entertainment

Archen Captures Time with Her Classic Creations

Marietta artist's moniker keeps pace with her growth as a sought after artist in the community.

Marietta artist Lisa S. Duncan is a capturer of time, as she says paintings ‘capture’ moments in time with the subjects of the work.

Duncan understands the limitations of time very well as she has journeyed a 30-year trek to build the career she enjoys today.

“I’ve painted all my life–ever since I can remember,” Duncan says of the many years doing what she loves. She calls herself a "scribbler" as a toddler and says in a sense she "never stopped scribbling."

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Like others gifted with creative talents, Duncan entered school and community contests while at Lovett Middle School gaining some attention for her masterful puppet designs and a painting of a horse head. As with her drawings, Duncan’s writing talents began to shine too.

During her tenth grade year at Mount Vernon Christian Academy, Duncan earned the honor of placing 5th in a national "written and illustrated by" contest with a book she wrote. The "Fairy Queen," was among the first expressions of her love for fantasy.

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It was during 11th and 12th grades that Duncan really began to take notice of people expressing interest in her drawings and paintings.

“Archen has been my pen name in both my writing and my painting for a very long time–at least since I was 12,” Duncan says of the moniker that has become widely known for distinguishing her work.

Duncan wrapped up her schooling at Oglethorpe University in 1990 with a degree in Medieval English Literature, denoting her love for classic storytelling, flamboyant costumes and intriguing characters which would later tie in with opportunities to work with film production companies.  

However, Duncan’s career would not go as expected as she entered the workforce accepting a job at the Fulton County court house, where she would work for the next 25 years in real estate records and title research.

Friends and family say Duncan is a testament to perseverance in following your dreams as she never gave up on hers. Throughout the years Duncan continued practicing her craft, developing her client base and expanding the range of her abilities while having fun doing so.

“In my opinion, if you’re not having fun [painting], you’re not doing something right,” Duncan says.

In 2006 Duncan retired from her full-time job after the birth of her son. After an online search for art studio space, she came across the Artisan Resource Center where she rented a studio where she took her hobby to a full-time effort.

Duncan says she has enjoyed success with her business endeavor through a solid word of mouth campaign, participating in festivals and exhibitions and the occasional interview; however, she says her greatest challenges are internal as she struggles to find balance as a mother, wife, daughter and time to get to the studio to actually work.

Her work varies across the flat mediums of pastels, oils, acrylics, graphite and water color to three dimensional mediums such as collage, assemblage, jewelry smith, costume and set design.

Duncan says her work is centered on ideas of transformation; it explores the transformation of one’s self, the environment and the lessons that she has learned. When working on her own projects she seeks to experiment pushing the boundaries of the art which has led her to doing things like painting on sand.

With commissioned work Duncan loves painting portraits in costume where she seeks to capture a different aspect of a person’s personality; a side of a person they may not present to the world ordinarily. She enjoys being actively involved in this type of work as she can design costumes and sets to shape the end creation.

When working with a group such as a film production, Duncan says she most appreciates the opportunity to participate in creating enigmatic images of fantasy, other worldly and whimsical ideas embracing the girth of our imaginations.

Duncan’s work over the years has been celebrated establishing her as a true professional in the Marietta and metro Atlanta community. Her work includes: Dragon Con Art Show (2009-2011), Atlanta Symphony Invitational (2010), Women’s Caucus for Art of Georgia Invitational (2009), Atlanta Fine Art League Juried Exhibition (2008), Tango Gallery Invitational (2007) and a host of other private and public events.

“As much as I love to create, it’s even more fun to create with someone and others…and I tell people to keep pursuing what you’re doing and never give up,” says Duncan on the continuation of her journey.

Lisa S. Duncan can be reached at her studio Art by Archen at 585 Cobb Pkwy. SE, Ste. E, Marietta, GA 30060; Phone: 404.660.3627; or online at www.artbyarchen.com

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