Lisa was born in Fort Erie where summers brought a special kind of magic, swimming in Lake Erie, jumping off the cliffs of Windmill Point Quarry and Sherkston Quarry, and snorkelling in the Niagara River shallows. The Lake Erie effect brought blustery blizzards, school closures, and the unforgettable "Blizzard of '77," where snowdrifts reached the rooftops. These elements gave a lifelong love of all things “Fort Erie”, a connection made all the more special by her grandmother’s name: Erie.
Spending summers in Cottage Country, immersed in the rugged beauty of the Canadian Shield, left a lasting imprint on Lisa’s appreciation for art and landscape. At Rookleys Canadian Art Gallery, the original and historical pieces of Canadian artists like the Group of Seven, trigger sense memories that are both humbling and inspiring.
Lisa received her Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Literature and Theatre from Brock University, where she was awarded the F. Janet Dolman Playwriting Award. She went on to direct Rosemarie’s Barbie for the Toronto Fringe Festival, starred as the lead, May, in Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love at Niagara Falls’ Old Firehall Theatre, and has both written and directed original works and collaborations throughout her artistic endeavors.
Following a 14-year career in Toronto’s Feature Film and Theatre industry, Lisa relocated to Cornwall, England. There, surrounded by landscapes steeped in history and natural beauty, Cornwall deepened an already-rooted reverence for the natural world, a continuation of her connection to land and water that began in Fort Erie.
Lisa’s passion for the land, water, and sky runs deep. At the heart of Lisa is a belief that landscapes hold memory, and that art has the power to honour both place and passage.
As Gallery Relations, I’m always eager to connect.
If you're a museum or gallery curator, we’d be thrilled to collaborate—whether by displaying your collection or showcasing one of our own. Rookleys houses over 1,800 historic Canadian works, and we are always looking for meaningful ways to share them.
If you're an estate representative, we’d love to hear from you. Following the publication of our first book, Jack Beder: Life and Art in Canada, we are actively seeking opportunities to highlight and preserve the legacies of other significant Canadian artists.
If you're a collector, it would be my pleasure to assist you—whether you're curating your personal space or seeking the perfect investment piece.
Let’s start a conversation.
Francesco Iacurto - Summer by the Pond, 1948