San Francisco artist and illustrator Lisa Congdon did not begin making art until she was thirty-three years old; almost a decade later, it's now the most significant part of her life and livelihood. Aside from four painting classes, Lisa is entirely self-taught. She uses her lack of training to her advantage: instead of following refined techniques, she works with her own sense of color, composition and design as her guide.

Lisa is represented by the prestigious Lilla Rogers Studio. Her illustration clients include Chronicle Books, Random House, Yankee Magazine, Pottery Barn, National Poetry Foundation, Galison Stationary and Madison Park Greetings.

When she’s not making art, Lisa is at Rare Device, the San Francisco design-led shop and art gallery she owns and operates with her friend, Rena Tom. She lives in the Mission District of San Francisco with her partner, her Chihuahua, Wilfredo, and her two cats, Barry and Margaret (named for Barry McGee and the late Margaret Kilgallen, two of her favorite artists).