Leslie Nolan Exhibit at Arts Club of Washington

Leslie Nolan’s “All I Got” (left) and “Freefall” at the Arts Club of Washington

Leslie Nolan’s “Dystopian” and “Dystopian #2″ in the middle. Both 60″ high x 48” wide acrylic on canvas.

It’s always a moving experience (forgive the pun) taking down an exhibit, but particularly so at the wonderful Arts Club of Washington. On display all November in the Club’s imposing Monroe Gallery, the show was not only well-attended, but included a talk by curator Dr. Erich Keel and I was able to say a few words about the work.

In case you missed it, I’ve included below the Artist Statement:

“My approach to artwork involves depicting what is felt rather than what is seen.  Fascinated by the complexities of ordinary people, their faults, fears, resilience, and courage, I respond to the emotion behind the facade.  I try to reveal their vulnerability by focusing on moods as interpreted by faces and body language.

Because I spent another career keeping secrets in my work abroad, my current interest is to express in painting universal feelings, which remain largely hidden in real life.  We all cloak ourselves behind a veneer of success and confidence, yet situations in our lives wreak havoc with our emotions and motives, which lie just under the surface.

I begin by using models and photographs of models, then distort and exaggerate the pose or expression, making the subject appear to be undergoing inner turmoil, as though reacting to an outside influence.  I like the work to suggest controlled chaos, as if something important has happened to each subject.  In these images of the human figure, I imagine the individual as reacting to money or job-related issues, loneliness, semi-stable environments, or familial concerns.  Whatever the cause or situation, each artwork depicts the fragility of life.  Filled with questions, the paintings invite the viewer to connect the dots and develop his or her own interpretation.”

Just a reminder – I’m exclusively represented in the Washington, DC area by Susan Calloway Fine Arts in Georgetown.