Originality

"Casting Shadows"
8 x 12, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2016
SOLD

I am always striving to see with my own eyes, and preserve a unique point of view. It's easier said than done! We are inundated with thousands of images these days. For a visual person, that means that a lot of other points of view are lodged in the brain. As an inspiration and a reminder that each of us is unique, I am sharing some quotations today. Enjoy!

"Serenade"
16 x 20, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2016
Available

"There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose, because before he can do so, he has first to forget all the roses that were ever painted." --Henri Matisse

"[Regardless of the subject], there is richness to be found, because it rests not in the subject but in the way you experience your subject." --Richard Schmid

"Pont Alexandre III, Toward Invalides"
12 x 16, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2016
SOLD

"Painting from nature is not copying the object; it is realizing one's sensations".  --Paul Cezanne

"The beginner in painting begins by copying nature in all literalness, leaving nothing out and putting nothing in... By and by, he will learn to omit the superfluous and to grasp the essentials and arrange them into a more powerful and significant whole. And it is wonderful to know that these "essentials" will be essential to him only (and herein lines the secret of

Everything's Coming up Roses...

"Heirloom Roses"
16 x 20, Oil on Canvas
(c) Lesley Powell 2016
Available

As you may have noticed, I very rarely paint flowers. And yet I have started the New Year with a whole series of roses. I don't know how it happened--it took me by surprise! I experienced the thrill of discovery, painting something for the first time.

"Three Stems"
8 x 8, Oil on Board
(c) Lesley Powell 2016
SOLD

Henri Matisse said that "There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose, because before he can do so,

Copycats?

"Self Portrait with Vase of Flowers"
Emile Bernard, 1897

I recently saw a wonderful exhibit at the Musee de l'Orangerie in Paris--a retrospective of the works of the French painter Emile Bernard. Bernard lived from 1868 to 1941. Lots of water went over the artistic dam in that time period, and Bernard did his fair share of experimentation with various styles that came in and out of vogue. Eventually, he developed a strong affinity for