You're Invited~

Jump Start the Season! JOIN ME AT OUR HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE DILWORTH ARTISAN STATION Friday, December 4th, 2015 6 pm to 9 pm Lesley Powell Art Find me on the Third Floor--Studio #35 118 E. Kingston Avenue, in Charlotte's South End Greetings, Friends. I am co-hosting this year's Holiday Open House at Dilworth Artisan Station. More than twenty-five artists will open our studios for the evening. Here's who we are. Whether you enjoy art that is abstract or realistic, flamboyant or quiet, large or small--we have it all! Among other new paintings, my SMALL GEMS collection will be available. Proceeds from the Gems benefit Arts for Life, bringing the arts to children in the hospital. We will have live music, beverages and nibbles. Come, bring a friend, and get into the holiday spirit! Click on the title to learn more about either painting above: "Beach Shack" or "Land's End, Reflections". Where to Park? The lot beside our building; spaces on the street; and in the overflow parking deck behind Carrabba's restaurant. If you can't make it Friday night, I will also be open on Saturday, December 5, from 10 am until 12:30 pm. Would love to see you! Above: "Roman Way". See more paintings on my website, Lesley Powell Art Copyright © 2015 Lesley Powell Art, All rights reserved.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Basket of Fruits"
Balthasar vand der Ast, Dutch

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sending my best wishes to you and yours!

Fear and Hesitation

I had a friend who coached swimming at the collegiate level. He told me that even the superstar swimmers would arrive at the pool for early morning practice, then pace restlessly around, putting off as long as possible the actual plunge into the water. I believe that there is sometimes a similar delaying phenomenon among painters. It was described very eloquently by James Lord in his book A Giacometti Portrait. Lord said this about Alberto Giacometti:

[Giacometti] seemed to be avoiding desperately the moment when he would have to start work on something new. He is so poignantly aware of the difficulty of making visible to others his own vision of reality that he must be unnerved by the necessity of having to try to do it once more. Thus, he would naturally delay as long as possible the decisive act of beginning."

Ah, yes. The "decisive act of beginning". That's a moment fraught with pain and danger. The legendary choreographer Twyla Tharp has written that it is the most fragile moment of the creative process, the time that we are most likely to chicken out. 

Lately I have been experiencing the discomfort of beginning. I have even chosen to clean my studio (usually the very last task of all) before approaching the easel. I have found that the best cure is to get outdoors with my easel, and paint my surroundings. Even if the subject is one that I drive by every day, as in the photo above. It's all about learning to see, and translating what you see with paint and brushes. Here's to overcoming the fear of beginning...

Maggie Siner Workshop Announcement: 2016

Yes, the dates are set for 2016! The incomparable Maggie Siner will be teaching her landscape workshop in Provence this summer from July 2 to July 9. It's a perfect time of the year in Provence. We will visit perched villages, lavender fields, vineyards, and wheat fields. Maybe even an ochre quarry. In short, we will see and be challenged by all that Provence has to offer. 

Maggie lived in the Luberon area of Provence for a number of years, and she brings an insider's knowledge of the land and its conditions. If there is a strong wind from the north, Maggie knows a spot where we can paint and be sheltered from the gusts. She has scoped out the best places to take us

Preview the "Small Gems"!

A patient supported by Arts for Life

Thursday's the big day: the official start of my Sixth Annual SMALL GEMS benefit sale. I am very excited about this year's collection, and wanted to offer my blog readers a sneak preview. The Gems are my favorite small paintings, specially selected and priced for holiday gift-giving. You can see all of the Gems on my website here. To purchase, just click the "Contact the Artist" link at the bottom of the artwork page, and I will respond. Prices start at $150. Nothing makes a house a home like original art--and the Gems benefit a special cause. See details in italics at end of post.

This year's beneficiary will once again be Arts for Life. I have considered many options, but honestly none touch my heart the way that Arts for Life does. My personal experience working on art projects with a young cancer patient has left a lasting mark on me, and I am thrilled to have found an organization whose mission is to bring the arts to kids in the hospital. I could not say it better than their logo does: "Inspiring Courage through Creativity"!

Half the price of every Gem sold before December 25 will go to Arts for Life. We know that arts projects help make long days in the hospital seem shorter, and give young patients something to look forward to. In addition, evidence suggests that art actually exerts a healing power, Arts for Life is positioned to bring that power to thousands of young patients. Please join me by participating in the Small Gems sale and bringing a bright spot into the lives of these kids and their families.

If you have friends who may be interested in supporting the cause, please forward this post to them--thanks for sharing!

Design by Barbara Heath

Should you need inspiration for using Small Gems in your home, check out the photos  in this post (one of these is from my own house!). I love the small paintings grouped on the left in the photo above--they play so well with the large abstract piece. It doesn't matter whether your style is traditional or contemporary, elegant or rustic--a Small Gem is a way to make your space sing, and to help bring joy to kids facing serious illness!

Photo from Vogue

This one in my own house!

Decor by Phoebe Howard

Photo from New York Social Diary

Decor by Phoebe Howard

DETAILS: Each sale is "Satisfaction Guaranteed"--if the painting doesn't work in your home, you can return it within 10 days, no problem. Purchasers outside NC--no sales tax, but you pay UPS shipping. Check preferred, but credit card possible. Sizes and prices are on my website, in the description of each painting. Gems are priced with and without frames. I will gift wrap too! Click the "Contact the Artist" link on the artwork page to make a purchase. Thanks!

On the Rocks

"Ruins"
12 x 16, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2015

I've been reflecting on the paintings I have completed over the past six months, and I realized that I have been stuck on the rocks. Literally! Without any express intention to do so, I have developed a body of work that features all different sorts of rock formations. Hmmmm. A peculiar fixation, no?

"Ochre Quarry I"
6 x 13, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2015

In France this summer, I painted colorful rock formations at an abandoned ochre quarry. Love these other-worldly shapes and colors. From there, I went on to paint