Just finished this fun guy and am loving his bold take on life. At 68×66 inches, he makes a real pop of color and contemporary impact in any space.

Just finished this fun guy and am loving his bold take on life. At 68×66 inches, he makes a real pop of color and contemporary impact in any space.
Am fascinated with camouflage these days. Hunter or hunted. Hidden messages. Hidden emotions. Also, it’s fun and clever. Pink spots make me smile.
This exciting solo exhibit features many of my newest abstract figurative paintings. Like all of my artwork, it explores the blur between reality and the imagined, depicting emotions and feelings.
The title Naked to the Bone is particularly apt because it comes from one of my favorite poems by Pacific Northwest poet Theodore Roethke, much celebrated in the 1950s and 1960s. The poem “Open House” expresses the emotion of having your innermost feelings on show – I think it has particular relevance for this special exhibition:
“My secrets cry aloud…I’m naked to the bone”
Am selecting pieces from the studio for my upcoming solo exhibit at d’Art Center, Norfolk, Virginia July 1 – 25, 2021. This painting, “A Pulse Beyond 13,” 12×12 inches, may make the cut. I particularly like the way the black color dances around the square and strengthens the figure, making a powerful and compelling statement against the lush background. It epitomizes the rich relationship between ourselves and our surroundings, often at odds, yet inevitably part of one another.
Art Essex Gallery is currently featuring these two paintings above, James and Naranja, both 40×30 inches acrylic on canvas completed in 2021. Check out the gallery’s Invitational Exhibition available online through May 15 at http://www.artessex.com.
Juried by New York City art critic and art writer David Masello, the exhibition focuses on the unpredictable, the best and most exciting feature of a work of art. “Unpredictable” is a great word – the opposite of expected and boring. Can’t begin to tell you how that word has informed my art practice over the past years. I hope you enjoy these two vibrant and exciting pieces above from this exhibition. We all need to look at the world differently as life constantly evolves and changes. I think these two lively pieces reflect the unexpected from me.
To see more work, visit instagram at leslitnolanstudios, Calloway Fine Art & Consulting, and http://www.leslienolan.com
Honored by the selection of this interesting painting in the 58th annual juried exhibition of this terrific art museum in Monroe, Louisiana. Due to renovations, the exhibit is on view at the North East Louisiana African American Heritage Museum. On display through May 2021.
Love these bold and colorful faces I just completed. They’re fun and a true celebration of color. They feel alive!
This is the first painting of 2021 completed in the studio. The January chill in the air mandates bundlng up in painted layers of silk, flannel, wool, and down quilting. Perhaps that explains the choice of white and icy blue in Sara, above. The rust-red helps to impart a warmer feel to this free-wheeling painting. I think we should all be celebrating the move into a new year promising hope and change. Fingers crossed!
Honored to have two paintings in this prestigious exhibition juried and curated by George Billis of George Billis Gallery of NY and LA. Available online at http://www.artessexgallery.com through December 31, 2020.