Lisa Zaman grew up around creative energy in a family of artists and musicians, so it is no wonder she was encouraged constantly to create with her hands. Her parents identified early that she could accurately copy from images and mimic sound without reading music, and her life as a creative began. The genre of portraiture always spoke to Zaman, as she is fascinated by the story that peoples’ faces can tell before they’ve even spoken a word. Her evocative drawings capture the essence of her subject’s character, depicting their likeness in addition to their inner spirit. Zaman loves draftsmanship and the study of pieces, and she roots her work in the history of portraiture from the Renaissance to today.

Zaman currently lives in London and works as a full-time artist. Her subjects display a range of people, from friends to A-list celebrities. During lockdown, Zaman even reproduced portraits from Zoom, aiming to showcase the intensity of the period through the movements of people. Her work invites us to look closely, as they isolate the most expressive parts of the human body and immediately provoke deep thought about the human condition. Her framing elicits wonder, especially about what the person was feeling in the moment they are portrayed. Zaman exhibited in both London and New York and collaborated with brands such as Ubisoft and Mixam as well as the Brooklyn Art Library’s Sketchbook Project.