New Year's Evolutions 2020

So, the earth has orbited another graceful ellipse around our sun, and once again I take this time to take stock of the year that was, and set intentions for the year to come.

But of course, this year has been like no other. It will go down in history as one of the craziest, horriblest, nastiest no-good rotten years. 

ornament by www.plumdandy.org

We have all lost something this year; loved ones, income, opportunities, travel plans, the simple joy of congregating, or the privilege of having faith in our institutions and compatriots.

Through this difficult time, I have made a practice of counting my blessings each day. Sure, my art career took a hit. But I have plenty, I am surrounded by loving family and friends, I am safe and healthy. I am indeed one of the lucky ones. For this I am grateful. 

The Year of the Pivot

Boy howdy, we all had to pivot, and my artistic path was no exception. For some time now, I've been cruising along, avoiding change. Then Covid hit and I was forced into it. Here is the list of all the new things I did this year:

1. I invested in an art business class by Alyson Stanfield at www.artbizsuccess.com Through working with her I have rebranded my website, had more fun with the language I use when talking about my work, upped my social media use, and, as you may have noticed, wrote more blogposts!

2. I taught myself a whole new medium, printmaking. Again, as the economy has contracted, my hope is to have a wider array of price points to appeal to a larger audience.

3. I have set up my first online store so I can sell some of my work directly to you.

4. I had a major exhibition “Story Without a Plot” at RiverSea Gallery. Along with the regular preparations for a show, I took a crash course in online communications, producing a live video recording of the opening and an online artist talk. These videos are preserved on my blog here.

5. In response to Black Lives Matter, I made a commitment with a few friends to learn more about racism, and how I unwittingly contribute to white supremacy by my own lack of understanding. As you can imagine, this work has been unpleasant and difficult, but I am so glad I have the opportunity to learn and to hopefully be part of the solution in my own small way.

Perseverance

If there is anything my new-found middle-aged wisdom has taught me, it is that without perseverance success is impossible. I have committed time, money and effort into my career with no immediate results. However I've got the feeling I am headed in the right direction, and I am truly excited by what lies ahead!

I would like to thank all of you out there who have supported me over the years, and I dearly hope that my efforts have brought at least a weensy bit of levity and inspiration to you.

I am sending you all warm thoughts and hopes of good luck and a Happier New Year.


PS. Alyson sent along a wonderful article by Rosie Spinks: 2020 Will Never End Unless You Grieve It. It helped me have more awareness about the collective emotions we have about the year that has been. I hope it does the same for you. Love to you and yours.

Vacancy

 

She’s going somewhere. He’s going somewhere. Brought together by fate... trying to find beauty and comfort in a desert space.
Who is the more vulnerable one? Will it end happily?

2019 Leslie Peterson Sapp Vacancy 48x40

Vacancy is an image that I have done several times. This one is an aquatint and etching. Image 10x8

2019 Leslie Peterson Sapp Vacancy, aquatint 10x8

In this short video I discuss how I developed Vacancy from the original inspiration from the classic film noir "Detour", to a tiny sketch I just couldn't get out of my mind, to it's final fruition.

 

Lace

A youthful figure, silhouetted in front of a lace curtain, dons a tie while looking in an ornate mirror. In the mirror we see a mysterious figure. Is the scene in the mirror real, or imagined?

2020 Leslie Peterson Sapp Lace 40x40

The figure in the mirror is mysterious. In real life, the only thing we would see reflected in the mirror is the blue curtain because of the angle. I used artistic license so that it may look like a person standing in the room with the young man, maybe behind him. One person suggested that the figure in the mirror is actually a reflection of what is the young man’s mind, or a reflection from a different time. I love learning about what other people see in my work!

This is an unusual piece for me in that there is so much pattern. There are times when I really crave that patterned, over all ornamentation. I like the way it is contrasted with the clean silhouette of the young man.

This is a bitty video where I discuss the piece a bit at my opening at RiverSea Gallery. A more detailed description of the materials and techniques I used is written below.

The curtain lace is purchased paper that I had to work very hard to preserve as I glued it down- it wanted to dissolve with the moisture of the medium. The blue curtain in front is all from a roll of tracing paper I tinted with acrylic. The wallpaper pattern is all acrylic, utilizing a metallic and interference colors, using a stencil I made and applying it with a stencil sponge from the craft store. The mirror was created by finding the mirror for sale on line, distorting it so it looked like it was in perspective, then I simply printed it out, cut it out and turned it over to its blank white side, then glued in down. The pattern reflected in the mirror is meant to look like a smaller version of the lace curtain. This created by cutting up a paper lace doily.

Glass Houses

Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

A supposed celebratory moment- a toast- seem to have a tragic under current. The title refers to the large window behind them, and the glasses they are holding, but also refers to vulnerability and potential exposure. What is being communicated? Her expression is enigmatic. 

In this video I talk about the atypical development of this piece, the limited color scheme, and how the graphic novel artist Darwyn Cooke (of the "Parker" series fame) inspires me.