Derived from her abiding interest in
the natural colors of the landscape, Lisa Kitchen's portraits incorporate the sumptuous
greens, reds, and blues that she encounters constantly outside the confines of
her studio. Rather than use a black velvet or white paper backdrop, which she
finds very unappealing, Kitchen literally has taken pieces of the landscape
into her studio as background material. Here, the director-producer Tony Bill
is set against a lush green curtain of turf that simulates a natural
environment in a totally unnatural studio situation. As the particular
attributes of color and the look of everyday people in attitudes unique to
themselves are her primary concerns, Kitchen uses sunlight instead of
artificial lamps as illumination, and she encourages her subjects to dress in
ordinary attire and to assume comfortable, personal poses when in front of her
camera.

The L.A. Portrait series began as a pseudodocumentary project which
reflected Kitchen's interest and involvement in her Venice, California, surroundings
and which eventually mushroomed to include a larger area of southern
California. Neighbors and friends were invited to have their portraits made in
front of backdrops of turf or fresh roses. Tony Bill, one of her first sitters,
has offices across the way from Kitchen's studio and is part-owner of a
restaurant down the street.