Monterey Peninsula Art Foundation
Lesley Anne Spowart
 Sunflowers
In my life so far I have been an art historian, museum exhibition designer and now, a ballroom dancer. I have installed shows, framed art and written art reviews on the east coast. What surprises me most is how the study of first photography and then printmaking ultimately led me the long way around to my path as a studio artist. On my journey, I have experimented with an array of media from photographic xeroxography to tar underpainting to shellac and beeswax. You name it and most likely I’ve tried it in my art. Which leads me to the conclusion that I am a process-oriented artist.
Nest
I’m a colorist!! My freedom with color compels and influences the paintings and monoprints I create. The experiments I craft with pigments, paper and mixed media, allow me to incorporate surface textures that provide a tactile quality to my work.
The content develops through problem solving. As a painting evolves, the unforeseen challenges and inspirations drive me to discover solutions that involve using materials like buttons, tracing paper and collage elements. They all assist me in communicating the final ideas and feelings of each piece. I create with a diverse color palette and a variety of materials. This diversity enables me to expand my proficiency as an artist and develop my awareness of the great possibilities for expression. 
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Mostly I know that I love the feel of paper and enjoy the problem-solving process as it arises throughout the course of a piece. Perhaps I am easily bored or am playing catch-up of sorts, but I embrace the variety and the education which accompanies each new process. I find I am just now slowly limiting my experimentations in favor of working almost exclusively in oil paint. I enjoy working on various substrates, but feel most drawn to the resistance that painting on board provides.
Landscape
My connection with art developed at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where I received my B.A. in Art History. Career experiences include attending the Master’s Program in Museum Studies, Exhibition Design and Art History at Cal State Fullerton as well as the Art History program at UC Davis. I’ve participated in the Museum on Wheels and Internship Program at the Monterey Museum along with the Art Docent Programs at the San Benancio School in Salinas. More recently, I worked as Director of Arts and Education for the Arts Council in addition to teaching art to Seniors as well as children.
By attending art classes at Monterey Peninsula Collage, photography, printmaking and painting began to fill my need to communicate visually and establish my personal style. Taking the leap into public venues, I’ve exhibited at the Nancy Dodds Gallery and Homescapes in Carmel, the Sally Russell Gallery and Lisa Coscino Gallery. My work is housed in private collections in the U.S. and abroad. My work has been accepted in numerous juried competitions, winning awards and honorable mentions.
Sunflowers
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