“Soundscapes,” a new solo exhibition by Leslie Jeffery, an award-winning artist, has opened at the Mirella Cimato Gallery in St. Petersburg
“My works are about the process and feature texture, light or heavy; marks of all kinds; deep colors; patterned backgrounds; drips and various mediums,” Ms. Jeffery, who works from her studios in Largo and Highlands, N.C., has written. “They convey energy, lyrical or frenetic. They convey mood, serious or lighthearted.”
The Mirella Cimato Gallery is located inside Opera Central, 2145 First Ave. S. in downtown St. Petersburg. Gallery hours are from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday or by appointment at mirella.cimato@gmail.com or by calling 727-543-9190.
Two gallery receptions are scheduled as part of 2nd Saturday Artwalk. The first reception is from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 13 and the second one is from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 10.
Artist’s Statement: While a Landscape painting is guided by the vista one is seeing, these Soundscapes are created in response to what I am hearing. Listening to music in my studio while painting these non-representational abstracts cannot help but influence my marks and color choices. Whether salsa, opera or jazz, the gestural brush strokes cannot resist the tempo. The music usually prompts a feeling, a mood, a palette or a title. — Leslie Jeffery/Email: LJArtwork@yahoo.com
Leslie Jeffery was born in Jacksonville and became aware of “art” at a young age painting with her grandmother, an accomplished oil painter. She studied painting, art history and constructive design at Florida State University and holds a B.S. in Art Education from FSU. Her large acrylic abstracts are widely exhibited and have received numerous awards. She now works from her studios in Largo and Highlands, N.C., where she spends the summer. She is a member and past president of Las Damas de Arte, a Tampa-based group of women who exhibit together and raise money for art scholarships. She was co-owner and founder of The Carolina Gallery of Fine Art in Highlands, N.C.
