“Pretending To Be Brave”
48″x48″ acrylic on canvas
Just about completed, I think. Both paintings have a completely different feel to them. One feels cool, and the other warm. One bold, the other quiet. Both appear a bit mysterious.
“Bones Glow Through Skin”
36″x36″ acrylic on canvas
Honored to have been invited to participate in this super curated exhibit. Transformation of the raw bowl into a healing vessel had its roots in the loss of my lovely mother several months ago. That event sparked a new group of figurative paintings featuring strong, confident women with ever bigger and more extravagant hair, wig or headgear. Each painting became more outrageous, symbolizing fearlessness, freedom to go out of bounds, and permission to be exceptional. For the bowl, I used its curvature to take the idea even further, with the headpiece so large it circles the vessel, enfolding the figure in a protective embrace.
Can you tell I was a bit out of my comfort zone, painting small and circular!? Normally I stand, use large brushes, and fling paint energetically. Happily, I think the results with the bowl are as outrageous and fearless as the work on flat canvas.
Tottering
An Alchemical Vessel
11″ diameter by 3″ high ceramic bowl, acrylic and graphite
Alchemical Vessels 2015
Curators:
Sondra N. Arkin, Artist & Independent Curator | Philip Barlow, Associate Commissioner, DC Department of Insurance, Securities & Banking; Board Member, District of Columbia Arts Center & Millenium Arts Salon | Chuck Baxter, Artist | Robert Devers, Professor of Fine Arts and Ceramics, Corcoran School of the Arts + Design, George Washington University | Thomas Drymon, Curator, doris-mae | Charlie Gaynor, Realtor and Photographer, member of the Mid City Artists | Aneta Georgievska-Shine, Lecturer in Art History, University of Maryland and Smithsonian Institution | George Hemphill, Gallery Director, Hemphill | Francie Hester, Visual Artist | Don Kimes, Professor, Director Studio Art Program, American University Department of Art; Artistic Director, Visual Arts at Chautauqua Institution | Zofie Lang, Artist | Mary Liniger, Executive Director, Art Enables | Akemi Maegawa, Artist | Jayme McLellan, Director & Founder, Civilian Art Projects | Twig Murray, Gallery Director, Athenaeum Gallery | Victoria Reis, Co-Founder, Executive & Artistic Director, Transformer | Nancy Sausser, Curator and Exhibitions Director, McLean Project for the Arts | Andy Shallal, Founder, Busboys and Poets | Stan Squirewell, Artist
“Night Poem” by Washington DC Artist Leslie Nolan
40″Wx60″H
I just finished this large piece, and at the last minute I decided I liked it best in a vertical vice horizontal formal. The cool thing is that when hung vertically the right side looks terrifically interesting with the drips against the bare canvas around the edge. Installed in a room in the house, this artwork has an enigmatic, yet rich feel, because I used some gray Duron wall paint the same as the wall color. With a black chair in front of it the painting enhances the room, conveying an ultra modern chic. It’s not meant to be decorative, however. Read into the image whatever you like – seascape, landscape, fencing, snowy evening, icy roadway…It’s up to you.
Washington DC Artist Leslie Nolan’s “This Can’t Go On”
Just finished this new artwork – loose, exciting and unforgettable. Have been thinking a lot about my mother and that there exists a linkage between mothers and daughters that transcends time, distance, and culture. My mother has been and always will be my strength. This artwork, though it bears no resemblance to her, has a strength and implacable perseverance that puts me in mind of her.
This upcoming new year represents a break from the past, so I have joined a new gallery, Susan Calloway Fine Arts in Georgetown, Washington, DC and am working on solo shows slated for September at both Calloway and the Delaplaine Arts Center in Frederick, MD. 2015 should be a fabulous year.
I wish you all the best!
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.
Leslie Nolan Solo Exhibit at The Art League Gallery
Just delivered and unpacked artwork for this exciting solo appearance at the venerable Art League Gallery. Opening tomorrow, Oct 9, 6-8 pm. Free and open to the public. Drop by and join in on the festivities. Wine, cheese, and sparkling conversation!
Many thanks to Gallery Director Rose O’Donnell and Assistant Director Katie Andril (and her predecessor Katie Scharma) for their top-notch support throughout the two-year process of submission, jurying, acceptance, selection of artwork, and installation. It’s an honor to be there.
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