Threshold

 Over the past two years (or is it three?) I have moved twice, helped build our current home and gotten married. Once I settled down into my new life I had to examine my life and my art through new eyes. I have been experimenting with new ways of doing my art, going back to basics by taking art classes, and trying to reinvigorate my craft. Now I feel I am ready to commence upon a new chapter in my art.

One of the major changes that have occurred is that got married, and made the decision to adopt my husband's name of Sapp. So I have made the move to add that name to my artist identity, making it Leslie Peterson Sapp. 

I have taken a huge leap of faith, and it feels as though I am finally coming in for a landing!

In many ways, the place I have landed is very much like were I was before. I am still doing images filled with people from the past. But I have expanded, become more adventurous and expressive. My subject matter and source material has widened. If you would like to read more about my current thoughts about my work, read the column just to your right under "About My Painting" and "My Technique".

Meanwhile, here are a few of my newest pieces.

" Big Brass Bed" 18"x24" Collage, charcoal on panel.

"Big Brass Bed" is almost completely collage. It is based on a film still from "The Killers"

"Big 500 10" 7"x8" Collage, charcoal, acrylic on panel.

This is a small piece I made for The Big 500 show on December 12th at The People's Art of Portland. I collaged old newspaper down and painted on top. It is based on a screenshot I took of "The Killers".

"Blue Dahlia" 24"x18" Collage, acrylic, charcoal on panel.

"Blue Dahlia" is a somewhat humorous portrait of my husband and I, based on a movie poster from the classic film. 

"Boy on a Settee" 40"x48" Acrylic, collage, charcoal on panel

This image is based on a snapshot. I did a very small version of this a few years ago. I always felt I didn't quite express what attracted me to the photograph. This time I took many liberties with it, and distorted the space to create more feeling and movement.  

"Boxer" 30"x40" Acrylic, collage, charcoal, pastel on panel.

This is based on a screenshot I took of the movie "The Killers". I feel it depicts in dramatic fashion the special sort of pressure men are subjected to. 

New Possibilities

After being able to take classes with Mark Andres over the winter and spring, I have been able to return to my work with fresh eyes and honed skills. One of the things that I was encouraged to do in my classes was to create preparatory sketches for my paintings by making collages. By doing this I was able to simplify the shapes and work out color and compositional questions. Here are a few examples of the collages I made followed by the finished painting.

Collage Sketch for Qualms 10"x7"

"Qualms" Acrylic on panel. 16"x11.25"

Collage Sketch for Those Were Pearls That Were Her Eyes 8"x7.75"

"Those Were Pearls That Were Her Eyes" Acrylic on canvas. 66"x60"

Collage Sketch for Commission 9"x9"

Commission. Acrylic on panel. 12"x12"

Collage Sketch for Commission 6"x8"

Commission. Acrylic on panel. 27"x36"

When I showed some of my collage work at my last exhibit at In Bocca al Lupo Fine Art in September, the response was so positive that I have decided to put more work into the collages and produce some as finished, salable pieces of art. Here is an example of my latest work in progress: 

Collage Study. Painted paper on board. 20"x10"

A Portland Exhibition at East Bank Commerce Center

It is has been a year of transitions for me. Now that my life has calmed to a more pleasurable pace, transitions are now manifesting in my painting! I have been taking time to luxuriate in my open ended schedule, to take classes and practice my craft. So although I am painting more than ever, I have not been creating very much finished work ready to show. However, some of my paintings will be making a rare Portland appearance during the month of May at The East Bank Commerce Center at 1001 SE Water St, Portland.

This is the building that happens to house the popular Clark Lewis restaurant. So why not stop there and indulge in a great dinner or a stunning happy hour this May. While you are there, be sure to use the bathroom, because if you do you cannot miss seeing my paintings in the lobby of the building! Many of the paintings have never been shown in Portland before, and there will even be a few new ones.

Keep your eyes open, for I will be having a show of completely new work next September at In Bocca al Lupo Gallery in Milwaukie, Oregon.
have one small show coming up next month. As many of you know, I frequently exhibit in regions outside the Portland area, such as Astoria, Roseburg, and The Dalles. But during the month of May my paintings can be seen at

Learning Again

Since my last post "Back to Basics" I have continued to practice and improve my craft as well as experiment with new subject matter. In the course of it I have started to take a painting class. My husband says "Why do you want to take a painting class? You're already a good painter." And I say, "Because I want to be a better painter!"
The class I am taking is taught by Mark Andres, an artist, filmmaker and teacher I greatly admire. The class goes from 9am to 4pm every Friday, and has a live model. Here are some of the paintings I have done in this class so far.

If you are interested in Mark Andres' work, here are the addresses to his two websites:
Paintings: www.paintingintime.com
Films: www.kinographicnovels.com

Getting Back to Basics

After a jam-packed couple of years of art exhibits, selling a house, building a house, moving twice and getting married, I am settling into a more placid routine and enjoyment of life. I have very few artistic obligations on my calender, (only one show this coming spring plus a couple commissions) and I LIKE IT! I am luxuriating in my ability to spend as much time as I like on a painting, and have given myself permission to practice, to play, and create work for its own sake, rather than with an eye for sale.

After working from photographs So often, I have been feeling the need to draw and paint from life again. Working from photographs has tremendous advantages, but it can also lead to rigidity and complacency. So not only is working from life good practice, it also can broaden and deepen my experience in art making and lets me be in touch with the wonder of seeing.

Self portraits are an obvious choice when working from life- it is convenient and I don't complain about having to sit still for so long! But because I am concentrating as I work, most of my self portraits have a stern, even angry look about them. I'm not really angry, just absorbed in what I am doing, and that emotion gets translated into the finished work.

 Self Portraits are not the only life painting I have been doing. This is a painting of a pair of very large plants I have in my art studio.

By getting back to basics I aim to raise my confidence and mastery in my painting. As I joked to myself the other day, "I'm trying to teach myself how to paint."

"Seine Nets and Regattas" a show at RiverSea Gallery

"1946 Astoria Regatta; Salmon Derby Winner" 

"Seine Nets and Regattas" is my new show at RiverSea Gallery, opening this August 3rd. I have created all new work for the exhibit, all based on photographs of Astoria. 










For this show, not only have I created all new work, but I have branched out and used a new surface, plaster. I applied plaster on wood, and then drew and painted on that. The affect has a different feel and appearance, and I liked working on it a lot. To see some more of my work, scroll down. I will share with you the techniques I used and information about the photographs I worked from.

The Astoria Regatta started in 1894. It stemmed from a way for the community to celebrate the return of Astoria fishermen from Alaska. Along with the boat pageant, there evolved a parade, a beauty contest, and a salmon derby where who caught the largest salmon won. The Astoria Regatta was suspend for three periods; WWI, after the devastating 1921 fire that destoyed much of down town Astoria, and during WWII. It started back up in 1948 and has been celebrated every year in early August. This year the dates are Wednesday August 7th though Sunday August 11th.

"Astoria Regatta, 1890's" 24"x24" Acrylic on panel

"Astoria Regatta, 1941" 24"x30" Acrylic on panel

This must have been part of the Regatta celebration, featuring an Andrews Sisters style local singing group. The date of the photograph is 1941, so it must have been the last Regatta before being suspended during WWII.

"The Wreck of the Miss Epps III" 14"x11" Acrylic on panel

The Miss Epps was a famous speedboat that competed in one of the Astoria Regatta boat races. As you can see, Miss Epps has met her demise, and is being held together in a bundle by rope.

"Butterfly Regatta, Astoria Oregon" 24"x36" Acrylic on plaster

This painting is acrylic on plaster. It is based on a famous photograph owned by the Oregon History Project. These are small gillnet fishing boats used by fishermen who worked for the Union Fish Cannery. The boats were powered by two tiangular sails which, when running downwind with a second spiritsail resembled butterfly wings.

The Astoria fishing industry has been the predominant industry in Astoria up until recent times.While looking for images to use for this show, I came across a bunch of early 1900's photographs of men using seine nets to gather up loads of salmon in the shallows of the Columbia River. They used horses and manpower to pull the heavy nets around. The resulting images are stark, lonesome and beautiful. They inspired me enormously.

"Indians Seining Salmon on Sand Island 1908" 24"x36" Acrylic and charcoal on plaster.

"Loading Seine onto Barge Preparatory to Making a Haul, 1908" 24"x40" Acrylic and charcoal on plaster

"Seine Fishing, Lower Columbia River" 12"x16" Acrylic and charcoal on panel

"Taking Salmon from Seine Net to Wagon 1908" 24"x40" Acrylic on plaster

"Fishermen on a Small Powerboat 1908" 24"x30" Acrylic on plaster

"Gill Net Fishing, Astoria, OR." 12"x8" Acrylic and charcoal on panel

"Interior of House Boat Sleeping Bunks 1908" 20"x20" Acrylic on panel

Though most of the fishermen were immigrants from Scandinavia, the workers in the canneries were mostly Chinese or Chinese-American. These images came from the Library of Congress in the early 1940's.

"Dockworkers, Astoria, Oregon 1941" 24"x28" Acrylic on panel

"Gutting Tuna, Astoria, Oregon 1944" 24"x31" Acrylic on panel

"The Wreck of the Alice McDonald" 24"x36" Acrylic and charcoal on plaster

Spring and Summer Art Shows

This spring and summer there are several opportunities to see my art in different towns in beautiful Oregon. Here is a rundown of my upcoming shows.

Exhibit number one!

April 1st through April 25th

Lane Community College Art Gallery
I will be giving an artist lecture on Thursday, April 4th at 3pm. There will be a reception following. All are welcome to attend!

4000 East 30th Avenue, 
Eugene, OR.  Building 11
541-463-5409

Exhibit number two!

June 6th through June 29th

The Dalles Art Center
Out in the beautiful Columbia Gorge, half and hour west of Maryhill Museum.

The Reception will be June 6th, from 5-7pm

The Dalles Art Center,
220 East 4th St.The Dalles, OR. 97058
(541) 296-4759

Exhibit number three!

August 3rd through September 3rd, 2013

RiverSea Gallery! 

All new work created specifically for RiverSea, all based on historic photographs and snapshots of Astoria. Artist Reception is Saturday, August 3rd 5-7pm. I will be there to meet, greet, and chat about my work.
Astoria Art Walk will be Saturday, August 10th.
RiverSea Gallery
1160 Commercial St.Astoria, OR.
(503)325-1270