©lesliepetersonsapp Ambivalence

My Film Noir series has dark, rich colors, high drama, and often integrates collage for pop and panache.

But those of you who have followed my art for a while know that it wasn’t always that way. 

For many years I did work in a very different style, based on vintage snapshots of ordinary people. This body of work evokes feelings of wistful nostalgia. 

©lesliepetersonsapp You Are the Only One 24x36 Acrylic on panel

They are boldly drawn with thin layers of paint over visible wood grain. It was a popular and satisfying method that worked for me for years before I felt the need to evolve and change. 

©lesliepetersonsapp Reservoir 36x24 Acrylic on panel

Many of these pieces are still available! In this vein, I’ve done an entire reorganization of my website. I have included a page of available artworks in this previous style.
 
The website is organized into three pages under Portfolio. Each image on each page has a clear indication of where to inquire about the piece, and if you feel so moved, how to buy it.

visit www.lesliepetersonsapp.com to see all my work, current and otherwise!

Another way to explore this earlier style is to visit previous blogposts, especially the years 2013 and before.  Look at the Archive section on the right side of this page to investigate.

With narrative art such as mine, we are reminded that there is more than one way to tell a story.  Some are told with words, others with sounds, body movement, or images.

My last show was entitled “Story Without a Plot”, which demonstrates how I am driven to tell stories with my art, even if it is implied and not explained with words. 

©lesliepetersonsapp Lace 40x40 Collage, acrylic on panel.

 Our imagination is part of what makes our lives have richness and meaning. The figures in my pictures feel like ghosts performing tableaus and delivering messages from our own subconscious.

©lesliepetersonsapp Anticipate 16x20 Collage on panel

I use the elements of design to support a narrative. Deep focus emphasizes the distance between people, even in a closed room. Dramatic value changes create mood and mystery. Silhouettes and profiles obscure the identity of the characters and create an even larger screen for us to project our stories on.

©lesliepetersonsapp Search 48x40 Collage and Acrylic on panel.

 The spaces I depict feature mirrors, doors, windows, apertures through which we witness dramas unfolding, furthering our engagement with the piece. Populated with femme and homme fatales, they evoke photographs a private detective might take through a window, espying people in some forbidden situation. The mystery of what we see compels us to wonder and reflect.