Category Archives: art studio

At Susan Calloway Fine Arts

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Serge, 30″x30″, by Washington, DC Artist Leslie M. Nolan

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These newly completed paintings are now available at Georgetown’s Susan Calloway Fine Arts — 1643 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007.  http://www.callowayart.com

This grouping of paintings features fresh jazzy figures that have the feel of society on the edge. With  mostly vivid colors and painterly brush strokes, I’ve tried to maintain a blur between the real and imagined.   They have a contemporary aesthetic that’s infused with emotional tension.

As always, ambiguity and ambivalence rule.  All interpretations of these figures remain valid, possible, even probable.  I prefer that my paintings address those things that do not lend themselves to easy description.

Art In Situ

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Selecting the right artwork can be tricky.  It’s always a good idea to see it in a residential setting – a test for tone and style within a room.  I personally like art that makes me think and provides a lively counterpoint to otherwise static elements of furniture.  Some people prefer a more peaceful, languid feeling.  Everyone has a different goal for their personal space.

Regardless of preference, trying something out in the room for size and impact makes sense.  Whether stimulating or calming, a one of a kind, handmade work of art will elevate the area and make it special.  If it doesn’t work, you can always return it to the gallery for another piece that meshes just right with your preferences and objectives.

Here, I’ve displayed some newish pieces at home before delivery to the gallery.  Each makes a unique focal point, but I think they look good together, too.

The Palette Knife

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Corrected Vision 11 by Leslie Nolan Washington, DC Artist

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Corrected Vision 12 by Leslie Nolan

For these two recent paintings I used  scraping tools – palette knives, drywall joint implements, and stir sticks – in the figure, leaving brushwork for the background.

Because scraping results in a less predictable outcome, many “happy accidents” lend immediacy and freshness to the work.  The paints smear together in a totally different way from brushwork, and repeated passes build a texture that lends a rich gravitus of age/history/artifact to what is really a contemporary look.

Also, note the figures are posed in profile, something I generally avoid.  This stiff pose generates a whiff of old-master-hanging-in-a-dark-museum.   It seems void of emotion.  But, combined with scrapes, smears, drips and some wild color, the figure becomes a vessel of possibility.  Perhaps, even intrigue.

 

Washington Project for the Arts

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Washington DC Artist Leslie Nolan Exhibits at WPA Auction Gala

7 Curators +100+ Artists

Saturday, April 9, 2016, 7-11 pm

1333 H Street NW, Washington DC – three blocks from the White House

Cocktails, dinner, curated silent auction, dance party

Fancifully irreverent attire

For tickets, artist & curator info, and more visit http://www.wpadc.org, or contact Nathalie von Veh at nvonveh@wpadc.org

 

Nolan @ WPA Auction Gala

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https://www.wpadc.org/about/people/leslie-nolan

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Leslie Nolan, Washington, DC Artist, Working In the Studio

The Washington Project of the Arts Auction Gala is coming up Saturday, April 9, 2016, 7-11 pm.  Am thrilled to be one of the featured artists displaying a painting selected by WPA Board Member Rod Von Lipsey.  Tickets for this special Washington, DC event can be purchased on the WPA website.  In the interim, the link above features a Q and A with yours truly.

At Strathmore With “Face to Face”

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GameChanger

Contemporary Fine Art by Leslie Nolan

Getting ready to install my 8-piece show at Strathmore.  Curator Harriet Lesser has paired me with another artist for this exciting exhibit in the Invitational Gallery:

FACE TO FACE:

PORTRAITS BY LESLIE NOLAN & SCOTT HUTCHINSON

Saturday February 27 – Sunday April 17, 2016

Opening Reception Thursday March 3 at 7 pm

10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, MD

http://www.strathmore.org

The theme for the exhibit is based on our work in portraiture, examining the individual points of view of two artists.  For my own selections, my “portraits” convey emotion.  They’re not meant to be a technical likeness of a particular person.  Whether beginning with a model or photograph of a model, I then distort and exaggerate the pose or expression to suggest controlled chaos.  I imagine the individual in these paintings as reacting to money or job-related issues, loneliness, semi-stable environments, or familial concerns.  Filled with ambiguity, the paintings are meant to invite the viewer to make a personal interpretation.

New York City With Gallery NK

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Dis Six by Washington, DC Contemporary Artist Leslie Nolan

Great news — My artwork will be heading to the Big Apple in April.  Yes, New York City for the huge show Art Expo with Gallery NK.    More on this exciting event as we get closer to spring.

Right now I’m getting used to the new studio space.  There is nothing like a pristine clean space and an untouched white canvas to give an artist pause.  It’s somewhat of a daunting prospect. New tarp on the floor, fresh plastic protecting recently drywalled areas, and the painting table formerly used to hold the computer is unmarked, too.  I started slowly with a small painting for a show this May for The Arts Club of Washington, and that allowed me to go farther and really christen the studio this week with spilled and dripped paint from a larger canvas.  The upshot — all feels back to normal and congenial to mark-making.

The Leslie Nolan Art Studio-Water Damage

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Last month my studio experienced the dreaded “water damage,” resulting in the loss of lots of older artwork, ruined walls and equipment, and finally a month long rehabilitation/reconstruction project.  During this time, of course, no new artwork could be done.

Now, however, like a phoenix this studio has been transformed into an efficient, spacious workplace.  Forced to clean out billiard and ping pong tables, hiking/camping gear, canoe, skis, etc., I ultimately found breathing and thinking room.

So, while I don’t recommend water as a method of renewal, in this case the damage spurred some much needed change. Every once in a while clearing out the space one uses for inspiration can prove stimulating to creativity.

Below, some after photographs and one image of the space in a state of massive confusion while fresh wallboard replaces the water-logged stuff.   I am definitely now ready to start some new art pieces!

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