LISA DUMFORD
IN THE ARTIST'S WORDS
Being a disabled Navy Veteran that manages Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD), art is a form of meditation that allows me to experience the moment in its truest form, free from the past and the future; free from the bad neighborhood that is my brain.
Like many, I came from a home with extensive drug addiction and alcoholism. In my final year of high school in Santa Cruz, all looked fine from the outside. I was a cheerleader with many friends. However, to escape the madness of my home, I spontaneously enlisted in the Navy after finishing high school. My experience in the Navy led to many years of unhappiness, depression and addiction.
While in the Navy I suffered extreme sexual trauma without anyone to whom I could turn for help. To avoid the abuse I went absent without leave (AWOL) and returned to a family that didn’t believe my accounts of this horror and wouldn’t offer me support or consolation for what I had suffered. Not having family support was as painful as the original abuse. Believing no-one would ever hear my voice I tried to squash the event, which worked for a while. But the memories eventually came to raise their ugly head while I suffered clinical depression and lost my desire to live.
I have since faced my demons with the help and guidance from other military veterans who have had similar experiences. The Navy ultimately recognized the wrong they perpetuated upon me and has made restitution with their existing resources. However, the nightmares do rear their ugly head from time to time.
Through trusted help and art, I have learned to channel my feelings and heal my soul.
Energy flows as I create each balloon while listening to old jazz such as Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald, as well as whimsical groups such as the Penguin Cafe Orchestra and Felix Laban. Nothing brings me more peace, contentment, and hope than sitting in the safe haven of my garage with a rich cup of coffee, combining vibrant colors, eye-catching designs and textures to create a unique piece. Making paper hot air balloons is exciting to me, and brings happiness to those around me.
Like many, I came from a home with extensive drug addiction and alcoholism. In my final year of high school in Santa Cruz, all looked fine from the outside. I was a cheerleader with many friends. However, to escape the madness of my home, I spontaneously enlisted in the Navy after finishing high school. My experience in the Navy led to many years of unhappiness, depression and addiction.
While in the Navy I suffered extreme sexual trauma without anyone to whom I could turn for help. To avoid the abuse I went absent without leave (AWOL) and returned to a family that didn’t believe my accounts of this horror and wouldn’t offer me support or consolation for what I had suffered. Not having family support was as painful as the original abuse. Believing no-one would ever hear my voice I tried to squash the event, which worked for a while. But the memories eventually came to raise their ugly head while I suffered clinical depression and lost my desire to live.
I have since faced my demons with the help and guidance from other military veterans who have had similar experiences. The Navy ultimately recognized the wrong they perpetuated upon me and has made restitution with their existing resources. However, the nightmares do rear their ugly head from time to time.
Through trusted help and art, I have learned to channel my feelings and heal my soul.
Energy flows as I create each balloon while listening to old jazz such as Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald, as well as whimsical groups such as the Penguin Cafe Orchestra and Felix Laban. Nothing brings me more peace, contentment, and hope than sitting in the safe haven of my garage with a rich cup of coffee, combining vibrant colors, eye-catching designs and textures to create a unique piece. Making paper hot air balloons is exciting to me, and brings happiness to those around me.
ABOUT LISA
Lisa Dumford is a self-taught mixed media artist residing in Hillsboro, OR, She works to produce art that inspires hope and lightheartedness. She loves to create innovative pieces that encourage wonder and fascination by the viewer, hopefully providing an unexpected bright spot to their day. 30 years of sewing, scrapbooking, and paper crafting led her to the exciting journey of mixed media art. In the beginning, she made paper “flying hearts” that sparkled as they hung from the ceiling. These hearts evolved into her paper hot air balloons. Each balloon takes at least eight hours of focus to create, and no balloon is the same.