Lisa Frick and Casey Raftery are linked by artistic endeavors, now on display at Gitane

Dogs and art sparked a friendship between Lisa Frick and Casey Raftery that’s led to an art show currently on display at Gitane in downtown Menlo Park.

Lisa, a relative newcomer to the Bay Area, works in collage and mixed media. She’s been making art off and on for the past 20 years, although she did take art classes with her mother when she was young. “I don’t want to make art how I eat,” she said, “because I want it to continue to be my passion.”

Currently she’s juggling art while in school to get a degree in interior design along with volunteering at Lucile Packard hospital.  “Making art for me is like running,” she said. “You lose all sense of time. It just feels so good.”

Casey, who has worked as an emergency medicine doctor, first dabbled in art while attending Stanford Medical School. “While I’ve always loved art, I grew up in a family where the career paths were law, medicine or business,” she said. “I took an art class while at med school and then when we lived in Switzerland a few years back, I started taking weekly classes with the same five people. That’s when I really learned to appreciate and make art.”

Multi-media pieces that can be hung on the wall or used as trays are Casey’s medium. “My sense is that the trays are an interesting mesh between useable art and pieces of art.”

It was Casey who first met Malika, the community-minded owner of Gitane (855 Santa Cruz Avenue). “She told me that she often exhibits local artists and I immediately said, ‘I have a friend who would love to do this with me.’ So here we are!”

Lisa and Casey’s art will be available through the holidays, or until sold. Gitane’s annual holiday party is December 14 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm; you can RSVP here.

Photo by Robb Most (c) 2017