Leslie Peterson: Day two of the Leedy Grage mural...

It was misting this morning, so I was a bit nervous that it would start to rain. But it eventually passed. I started on the color today.

WELCOME!

Hi there, and thanks for looking at my blog! I also have a website at
www.lesliepetersonpainting.com
Here on my blog you can see my newest work, and follow my artistic life and painting process. Sometimes I may include work that is in progress, images of the photographic sources, and the stories behind the work.

I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. I went to New York City for college, where I attended Parsons School of Design, The City University of New York, and The Art Students League. I graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1991. I returned home to Oregon, and I have been here ever since, having fun, helping out and raising heck. After years of experimenting with many artistic styles, I have hit my stride and am actively pursuing opportunities to exhibit my work and contracting commissions.

About My Painting

I work mostly from photographs. My goal is to use the photograph as inspiration for a distinct piece of art, rather than limiting myself to attempting to copy or emulate it. I procure snapshots from family, friends, antique stores, and public archives. They are often vintage or historical, usually ranging from the 1920’s through the 1950’s. The simplicity of earlier times creates a feeling of authenticity and genuineness and inspires us to think of a time when we had simpler enjoyments, desires, and expectations.

In choosing snapshots and photographs that involve happenchance and unpretentious expression, I show how the mundane moments of life are rich with meaning. My style is transcendent of time or fashion. They strike a balance between telling a narrative and creating an intriguing composition. By achieving this balance I hope to share my vision of us as people, our environment, and nostalgia about a way of life that is past, and how that nostalgia reflects on our present.

My Technique

In the same vein, my technique is also based on pared-down simplicity. The images are simply and boldly drawn. I paint thinly, and I try to keep the drawing visible if possible. I work mostly on colored or brown paper, or directly on wood panel. The colors are rich and yet subtle, based on a limited palette, working off of the color of the surface I work on. I have a style that is based on American Regionalism, American Realism, and Modernist movements with their sense of timelessness, and a tradition of depicting the human condition and civic life. The paintings I create are unquestionably contemporary, yet classic and accessible.

Leslie Peterson

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Day two of the Leedy Grage mural...

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