Lisa Schumaier  is a mixed-media artist primarily working with recycled materials and Raku ceramics. Lisa spent many hours as a child playing in and later helping to clean-out the warehouse that is now home to the Torpedo Factory Art Center. During the early days of the Torpedo Factory, Lisa was mentored by some of the first artists-in-residence there. After receiving her BFA with a concentration in ceramics and printmaking from Radford University, Lisa worked for many years in retail as a buyer and creating storefront displays for a small, independent store in Old Town, Alexandria.

 

In 1996, after a devastating, personal tragedy, Lisa turned back to art-making as a source of healing. She took classes through a local college, under the guidance of ceramicist Bill Schran, where she was first introduced to the method of the Japanese firing technique of Raku. Starting with making simple, brown bowls, Lisa was able to more deeply explore the ceramic medium and started to sculpt again. Her life as a full-time, working artist truly began in 2004 when she was juried into the Torpedo Factory, where she currently has her studio to this day.