Lel’s Blog - Lel Newman Artist

LEL’S BLOG

Hello and welcome! Here you'll find news and musings about art, inspiration, and upcoming shows.

Award winner at 2023 Edmonds Art Festival Gallery Artists show

I was delighted to receive two awards at the 2023 Edmonds Arts Festival Gallery Artists’ reception and awards ceremony. Photography/Digital Art Juror Amanda Ringstad awarded “Landing Party” 1st Place in Digital Art and “A Gift” 3rd Place.

Artist, Leslie K Newman standing to two artworks at an art exhibit
Top: A Gift, 24 x 24 in., limited edition of 5, 3rd Place in Digital Art
Bottom: Landing Party, 24 x 24 in., limited edition of 5, 1st Place in Digital Art
Photo by Janice French

Also juried into the show are two other pieces…

Plexi print abstract artwork
Carol, 18 x 18 in. Plexiprint
Vivid, almost fluorescently colored abstract art with bold expressive marks
Breakout digital painting (framed size 22 x 17 in.)
Limited edition of 20

2023 Edmonds Arts Festival

Father’s Day Weekend • June 16-18, 2023
10-7 FRI & SAT 10-5 SUN
700 Main Street, Edmonds, WA
Festival website

The Gallery Artists exhibit is inside the Francis Anderson Center located just west of the outdoor exhibitor booths.

Big thanks

Thanks to gallery art jurors, the many volunteers, and sponsors who make the Edmonds Arts Festival happen. It seems an arduous task, and it’s been held for over 60 years! The event is a fundraiser for the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation, which is committed to promoting education and enriching the community through the arts. They foster artistic growth and cultural engagement by supporting scholarships, offering grants, and creating exhibition opportunities. Edmonds, WA, is a charming town with unique attractions like the ferry terminal to Kingston/North Kitsap and a scuba diving park! The downtown area is Washington’s first Certified Creative District. So kudos to all those working to make Edmonds a vibrant, art-friendly community. I’m lucky it’s just a short drive and ferry ride from where I live, Indianola.

100 Days of Shapemaking 2023 

My 2023 100 Day Art Project kicked off on February 22 and is quickly coming to an end on June 2. This is my fifth time doing the 100 Day Project and my fourth “Shapemaking” challenge. Every day for 100 consecutive days, I create an abstract hard-edge, flat color composition and post it on Instagram (and Facebook). I have ten days to go!

Always abstract

I’m exploring how seemingly simple shapes can be created and combined to make something new and unique. I’m playing with space and form, sculpting in two dimensions. And, of course, there is the element of COLOR. I’m like a kid in a candy store, yum! 

Ten more to go!

Shown are days 78-89. You can see the whole series on Instagram or my art Facebook page. I appreciate the support from the IG/FB Community, even though the algorithm favors ads, suggested accounts, and reels these days. But hey, I’ve stuck with it.

Why, oh why? – It’s about time

Why would I do this to myself? Well, I was itching to make more of my hard-edge shape-based artworks, or as I like to call them, “Shapemaking.” I know Shapemaking is a verb, but for me, that’s what Art is — action, creation, and doing. I work until I come to a place of completion and satisfaction, OR I run out of time. That’s where the 100 Day project comes in — it’s about time. Every day it requires action and completion. I must work it out (as much as the day allows). I can’t get stuck on one piece. Instead, I move forward, knowing tomorrow is another chance to find pure satisfaction. So, out of the 100, I’ll have mined some gems. It’s time well spent.

Shapemaking 2023 – No. 37
Shapemaking 2023 – No. 13
Shapemaking 2023 – No. 73
Shapemaking 2023 – No. 20

New prints coming soon

I’ll add selections from the 2023 series to my limited-edition print offerings.I have some favorites. Let me know if you do as well. View them on Instagram.

Subscribe to my email list to be notified. Thanks for reading and looking!

Shapemaking 2023 – No. 45
Shapemaking 2023 – No. 46

A 2023 CVG Show award for In Port

I was surprised and pleased to learn my digital painting “In Port” won an Honorable Mention award at the 2023 CVG Show. Thank you to Juror Carla O’Conner. She did a wonderful job, It’s a diverse and interesting exhibit, full of gems. See all the award winners.

The 2023 CVG Show – January 14 – February 24 at Collective Visions Gallery
331 Pacific Ave, Downtown Bremerton,
Open Wed–Thurs 11am-4pm, Fri-Sat: 11am–6pm
See the CVG Show art, artists, and event schedule.

Photo by friend and fellow CVG artist Sandy Haight

Welcoming 2023

Witnessing celebrations like the New Year’s Eve Indianola beach bonfire and the joyous Edmonds Polar bears plunge into chilly waters on New Year’s Day was an excellent start for me. The smiles and positive energy radiated in the crowds and onward to the universe, I’m sure.  

The epic New Year’s Eve Indianola beach bonfire, fueled by Christmas trees, warmed hardy swimmers (and non-swimmers alike 😉 More photos.
Edmonds Uplift Society Polar Bear Plunge New Year’s Day – Link to video (I was a spectator)

Grateful

I’m grateful to you, all my website visitors, and folks who came out to chat, view, and purchase my artwork in 2022. On New Year’s Eve, I delivered and helped install a 40 x 40 inch “Landing Party” (no. 2 of 3) in its new home. It was a wonderful way to end the year. I’m primed to make more art and find new ways/places to share in 2023. Onward!

I’m a 2023 CVG Show invited artist

Good news! My digital painting “In Port” has been accepted into the 2032 CVG Show – the annual Washington State Juried Art Competition and Show. It’s a diverse exhibit featuring works by artists across the state. Jurors award cash prizes, and it has a rich offering of related events. 

The 2023 CVG Show – January 14 through February 24 at Collective Visions Gallery
331 Pacific Ave, Downtown Bremerton
Preview the art, artists, and event schedule.

Abstract artwork with blue and orange shapes by Leslie K Newman
In Port digital painting, limited edition archival print, 15.5 x 15.5 in image size, edition of 20. 20.5 x 20 in. framed $475 (unframed $300)

Like all my digitally created artwork, “In Port” is available in several sizes; each edition is limited, and the archival prints are signed and numbered. After being featured in my last email newsletter, No. 1 of 20 found a home in a Seattle corporate workplace. Woot!

Thanks for reading. I wish you and the world peace, health, and happiness in 2023.

Scroll to Top