{"id":472343,"date":"2026-04-03T10:18:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T15:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/?p=472343"},"modified":"2026-04-03T10:18:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T15:18:09","slug":"liza-lou-faq-beaded-paintings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2026\/04\/liza-lou-faq-beaded-paintings\/","title":{"rendered":"Brushstrokes Transform into Beaded Topographies in Liza Lou&#8217;s Mixed-Media Paintings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1960\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-4-e1775221913929.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"An Abstract Expressionist mixed-media painting by Liza Lou with thousands of colorful beads representing brushstrokes\" style=\"object-fit:cover;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-4-e1775221913929.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-4-e1775221913929-640x627.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-4-e1775221913929-960x941.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-4-e1775221913929-768x753.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-4-e1775221913929-1536x1505.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8220;Enjambment&#8221; (2025), oil paint and glass beads on\nstretched canvas, 52 x 51 x 1.75 inches. Photos by Joshua White. All images \u00a9 Liza Lou, courtesy of Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, London, Paris, Salzburg, Milan, and Seoul, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">Brushstrokes Transform into Beaded Topographies in Liza Lou&#8217;s Mixed-Media Paintings<\/h1>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-04-03T10:18:07-05:00\">April 3, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">Art<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/kmothes\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Kate Mothes<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\"><li style=\"color: #1c1e0d; \" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F04%2Fliza-lou-faq-beaded-paintings%2F&#038;title=Brushstrokes%20Transform%20into%20Beaded%20Topographies%20in%20Liza%20Lou%27s%20Mixed-Media%20Paintings\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\">\n\t\t<svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M12 2C6.5 2 2 6.5 2 12c0 5 3.7 9.1 8.4 9.9v-7H7.9V12h2.5V9.8c0-2.5 1.5-3.9 3.8-3.9 1.1 0 2.2.2 2.2.2v2.5h-1.3c-1.2 0-1.6.8-1.6 1.6V12h2.8l-.4 2.9h-2.3v7C18.3 21.1 22 17 22 12c0-5.5-4.5-10-10-10z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \">\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n\n\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d; \" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"mailto:?subject=Brushstrokes%20Transform%20into%20Beaded%20Topographies%20in%20Liza%20Lou%27s%20Mixed-Media%20Paintings&#038;body=Brushstrokes%20Transform%20into%20Beaded%20Topographies%20in%20Liza%20Lou%27s%20Mixed-Media%20Paintings%20&mdash;%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F04%2Fliza-lou-faq-beaded-paintings%2F\" aria-label=\"Email\"  class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\">\n\t\t<svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M20,4H4C2.895,4,2,4.895,2,6v12c0,1.105,0.895,2,2,2h16c1.105,0,2-0.895,2-2V6C22,4.895,21.105,4,20,4z M20,8.236l-8,4.882 L4,8.236V6h16V8.236z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \">\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"472343\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"3\" style=\"\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\" style=\"\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the many reasons artists like Lee Krasner, Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, Cy Twombly, and other mid-20th-century pioneers of painterly abstraction were so innovative for their time is the use of the deliberate yet loose brushstroke. Pollock intuitively dribbled and splattered paint on surfaces spread across the floor of his studio, and Kline created bold, monochromatic paintings with just a few deceptively simple, gestural strokes of a large brush. It&#8217;s this visceral approach to visual rhythms and color that continues to awe us today. (A major retrospective highlighting both Krasner and Pollock&#8217;s work is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/exhibitions\/krasner-and-pollock-past-continuous\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">slated for The Met<\/a> later this year.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For artist <a href=\"https:\/\/lizalou.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Liza Lou<\/a>, the calculation of brushstrokes, color, and gesture opens the door to another media type altogether\u2014beads. The artist is known for using the material, including a large-scale installation titled &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/whitney.org\/collection\/works\/34855\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kitchen<\/a>,&#8221; which took five years to create. In her recent work, she adds thousands of the diminutive baubles in myriad colors, shapes, and sizes to sweeps of oil paint on canvas. Tapping into the legacy of Abstract Expressionism, Lou parses the relationship between gesture, intention, organic forms, and the brushstroke as a subject unto itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1722\" height=\"1241\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-3.jpg\" alt=\"A detail of an Abstract Expressionist mixed-media painting by Liza Lou with thousands of colorful beads representing brushstrokes and splatters\" class=\"wp-image-472346\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-3.jpg 1722w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-3-640x461.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-3-960x692.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-3-768x553.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-3-1536x1107.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1722px) 100vw, 1722px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of &#8220;Enjambment&#8221;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Lou&#8217;s works appear this month in <em>FAQ<\/em>, a solo exhibition at <a href=\"https:\/\/ropac.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Thaddaeus Ropac<\/a>. The title references questions that the artist returns to again and again in her practice. When does a painting become <em>not <\/em>a painting? Can a brushstroke be more than a brushstroke? &#8220;These works are about amplification\u2014about making things more ideal,&#8221; Lou says. &#8220;There\u2019s a poem by <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Book_of_Disquiet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fernando Pessoa<\/a> where he writes about wanting flowers to be more flowers than flowers, and in this body of work I\u2019m using my material as a way to make paint more paint than paint.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike a quick swipe of a brush, each bead is meticulously placed amid a field of others, creating a chromatic topography. Lou likens them to painting &#8220;straight-out-of-the-tube,&#8221; except that they can&#8217;t be mixed on the canvas. She relies on color relationships, textures, and precise placement to give the impression that, from a distance, the loose strokes and splatters have blended or merged. When viewed up close, we see distinct, saturated topographies that, in a rather macro sense, are delightfully sculptural with the soft ground of painted details underneath. &#8220;My process involves this improv where every stroke requires everything I have, my full attention,&#8221; Lou says. &#8220;Every mark becomes this kind of violin-crescendo-holy shit-experience.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>FAQ <\/em>opens on April 10 and continues through May 23 in London. See more on Lou&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/liza_lou_studio\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1962\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-6.jpg\" alt=\"An Abstract Expressionist mixed-media painting by Liza Lou with thousands of colorful beads representing brushstrokes\" class=\"wp-image-472349\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-6.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-6-640x628.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-6-960x942.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-6-768x753.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-6-1536x1507.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8220;Onomatopoeia&#8221; (2026), oil paint and glass beads on stretched canvas, 52 x 51 x 1.75 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1899\" height=\"1469\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-5.jpg\" alt=\"A detail of an Abstract Expressionist mixed-media painting by Liza Lou with thousands of colorful beads representing brushstrokes and splatters\" class=\"wp-image-472348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-5.jpg 1899w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-5-640x495.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-5-960x743.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-5-768x594.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-5-1536x1188.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1899px) 100vw, 1899px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of &#8220;Onomatopoeia&#8221;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1947\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-8.jpg\" alt=\"An Abstract Expressionist mixed-media painting by Liza Lou with thousands of colorful beads representing brushstrokes\" class=\"wp-image-472351\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-8.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-8-640x623.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-8-960x935.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-8-768x748.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-8-1536x1495.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8220;Analepsis&#8221; (2025), oil paint and glass beads on stretched canvas, 42.75 x 41.75 x 1.75 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2044\" height=\"1587\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-7.jpg\" alt=\"A detail of an Abstract Expressionist mixed-media painting by Liza Lou with thousands of colorful beads representing brushstrokes\" class=\"wp-image-472350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-7.jpg 2044w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-7-640x497.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-7-960x745.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-7-768x596.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-7-1536x1193.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2044px) 100vw, 2044px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of &#8220;Analepsis&#8221;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1959\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-2.jpg\" alt=\"An Abstract Expressionist mixed-media painting by Liza Lou with thousands of colorful beads representing brushstrokes\" class=\"wp-image-472345\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-2.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-2-640x627.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-2-960x940.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-2-768x752.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-2-1536x1505.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8220;Stanza&#8221; (2025), oil paint and glass beads on. stretched canvas, 52 x 51 x 1.75 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1581\" height=\"1195\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-1.jpg\" alt=\"A detail of an Abstract Expressionist mixed-media painting by Liza Lou with thousands of colorful beads representing brushstrokes\" class=\"wp-image-472344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-1.jpg 1581w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-1-640x484.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-1-960x726.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-1-768x580.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-1-1536x1161.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1581px) 100vw, 1581px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of &#8220;Stanza&#8221;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1955\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-9.jpg\" alt=\"An Abstract Expressionist mixed-media painting by Liza Lou with thousands of colorful beads representing brushstrokes\" class=\"wp-image-472352\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-9.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-9-640x626.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-9-960x938.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-9-768x751.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lou-9-1536x1501.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8220;Ecphonesis&#8221; (2026), oil paint and glass beads on stretched canvas, 42.75 x 41.75 x 1.75 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lou adds thousands of the diminutive baubles in myriad colors, shapes, and sizes to sweeps of oil paint on canvas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2306,"featured_media":472347,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[493],"tags":[1529,1655,532,4133,110],"class_list":["post-472343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","tag-art-history","tag-beads","tag-color","tag-liza-lou","tag-painting"],"acf":{"acf_sponsor_post":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.9 (Yoast SEO v26.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Brushstrokes Transform into Beaded Topographies in Liza Lou&#039;s Mixed-Media Paintings &#8212; 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