Lesley Clarke

I start each painting simply by getting paint on the canvas and allowing the energy and the spontaneous flow of the paint to form the initial work. Organically, I apply collage, graphite, pencil, spray paint, and various found objects to add texture and build layers. Depending on my mood while painting, I create art that can be soothing and peaceful or alive and bursting with colour and life. My greatest pleasures are finding a home in the painting for discarded ‘treasures’ like rusted scraps of metal, weathered paper, old nails, etc. Sometimes those pieces form the main element but often they can be a hidden gem for the viewer to stumble upon. My emotional inspirations come from a variety of sources including nature, music, personal experiences, and graffiti. I love to see how colours react with each other and the overall feeling a finished painting emits.

Recently I have been working with wooden boxes as a base. I paint directly on the wood and incorporate layers of texture, adding and removing until I reach the balance of contentment and tension I am looking for. Practically, the wood also carries more weight and allows me to incorporate more complex physical elements into the work. Sometimes I like to ‘tag’ my work either freehanded or, if I want a more controlled look, with a handmade stencil.

Lesley Clarke employs acrylics, found objects, and related media to prepare abstract works that typically reflect complex, multi-themed visualizations. Lesley, born and raised in Scotland, focuses on embedding emotion, often conflict, into her creations. Her goal is to draw the viewer into the piece and to fully reflect the underlying theme, conveying that emotion or conflict independently and without distractions from specific elements of the piece. This goal often requires wholesale reworking of each piece such that the work you ultimately see had multiple "other lives" prior to reaching its present state. Hopefully, each piece moves you to the same or a similar place and time as its inspiration.

Lesley lives in Springfield, VA and paints from a home studio. She was born and raised in Scotland and lived there until 1991 when she moved to America. Since in the States, Lesley has lived in the West, South, Mid-west, and now here in the Mid-Atlantic. She went to college for accountancy and worked in various related positions. Her love for drawing and creation was always present but it was not until Lesley’s adult years that she has had the time to truly delve in and pursue this dream.