The Red Thread is the passion of Sydney artist and freelance graphic designer Lisa Tilse, whose love of color, design and the radiant imagination of children led to the creation of her vibrant works of art.

Lisa has always been creative and loved to create, and knew from a very young age that she wanted to "do something to do with art" when she grew up. A career in Graphic Design was the perfect choice for her and she currently enjoys working on corporate design jobs, which is balanced by being an artist and working without the constraints of a client's brief.

“I feel lucky to have had a mother with a wonderful design aesthetic and an appreciation of art, which became a natural part of my childhood and upbringing. I have always created art, starting with using boxes, bags, wrapping paper or anything I could lay my hands on when I was small. I have always been drawn to creative expression and have a strong desire to create and be surrounded by beautiful things. As well as a degree in Visual Communications (Design), I have also studied fabric design and printing, photography, painting, mosaics, decoupage, quilting, and ceramics."

"I started The Red Thread in 2005 when I created a portrait of my daughter, which resulted in portrait commissions and other art. I still do children's portraits and I love capturing the essence of a child in my vibrant, graphic, digital illustrations. I feel very blessed to be able to do what I love for a living.”

Lisa draws inspiration from many sources: traditional arts and crafts of many cultures, nature, travel, other artists, as well as everyday objects. “I have collections of vintage and modern fabrics, buttons, ribbons, and trims as well as decorative papers, old china, and many other miscellaneous items that I can't bear to part with as they inspire me whenever I look at them.”

Using timber as a main canvas for her work, Lisa’s work is often simple in structure and composition, allowing the grain and warmth of the timber itself to become an integral design element of the artwork.

Incorporating collage into many of her artworks, Lisa loves the idea of repurposing something, like the page from a vintage book, a handwritten letter or an old bus ticket, and giving it a new context and meaning, allowing something that may have been overlooked to have a new life and to be 'seen' again.