Rodrigo in the Studio

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.

Washington DC artist Leslie Nolan with Rodrigo, 68×66 painting on stretched canvas

Gabriel

Gabriel, 36×36 inches painting

Am fascinated with camouflage these days. Hunter or hunted. Hidden messages. Hidden emotions. Also, it’s fun and clever. Pink spots make me smile.

Naked to the Bone

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”

d”Art Center Norfolk, VA Solo Exhibition

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.

d”Art Center Norfolk, VA Solo Exhibition

Art Essex Gallery Invitational

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

Masur Museum of Art

Catherine, 36×36 painting on canvas by Washington DC artist Leslie Nolan

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.

New Work for Spring

Love these bold and colorful faces I just completed. They’re fun and a true celebration of color. They feel alive!

Sara

Sara, painting on canvas 48″x36″ by Washington, DC artist Leslie M. Nolan

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!

Jesse

Jesse, 20×20 painting on stretched canvas by Washington, DC artist Leslie M. Nolan

Just completed this darling small painting, which I think exemplifies the confusion, uncertainty and bizarre-ness of this current era of coronavirus pandemic. In addition to real danger from the spreading virus, our entire way of life has altered, creating a need to adapt in a unique environment.

Jesse, an imaginary figure, will thrive and serve to remind us of this historic period in our lives long into the future.

Artwork available through Calloway Fine Art & Consulting

http://www.callowayart.com

1643 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington DC 20007

email: gallery@callowayart.com

“Oluf” at Ethos

Washington, DC-artist Leslie M. Nolan’s “Oluf”

This highly personal artwork has just been juried into the National Exhibition “Ethos: Spirit of Community” at the Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts Gallery. Opening on August 1, 2020, the exhibit runs through the month, featuring work juried by guest curator Carolyn Goodridge.

“Oluf,” 36×36 inches is an acrylic painting on stretched canvas completed in 2019. The artwork is a highly personal image, the imaginary visage of my great grandfather Oluf who immigrated to Montana from Norway in 1857. Having left his home due to crop failures and economic poverty, he sought a better life in the United States, and became one of the earliest pioneers in the Farmington area where he ranched and raised a family.

His story in this painting exudes the feeling of independence, resourcefulness, tenacity and daring which characterizes both strong pioneer temperament and immigrant experience.