Lives in:  Ashburn, VA.

Media and subjects:  Oil, gouache, watercolor, acrylic. My primary medium is oil. Recently I have been working in gouache on black paper and Mi Teint board. 

Why you joined MAA: I love to see other artists’ work and to have opportunities to share my own work. MAA has an excellent cadre of artists to enjoy and learn from.

Something fun about you: I love the beach, no matter its location. One of my favorite hobbies at the beach is shelling. I have a glass coffee table full of beautiful shells I have collected, mostly from FL, but also from other places around the globe.

Social Media:  Facebook:  Lee Ann Howdershell  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeannhowdyart/

Artist Biography/Statement:

Color is my muse. I am inspired by pops of pure color that appear in nature and other subjects. My paintings vibrate with colors that occur naturally but that we don’t normally take the time to see. The juxtaposition of complementary colors gives a glow to the picture and makes my heart sing. 

The textural quality of oils helps me engage my subject not only in a visual way, but also in a tactile way. Using the palette knife or the brush to push and pull color and texture creates a sense of sculpting on canvas. Painting with gouache gives the viewer a new way of seeing. Thick application of the paint can produce a bold statement while using more water can contribute to a transparent, more ethereal quality. 

I want my paintings to make viewers stop and wonder – I want them to elicit deeper meaning from nature and everyday objects.  While painting, I get lost in seeing things a new way, a way that feeds my soul. I hope my art will do the same for you.

My painting career began at Loudoun Academy of the Arts painting in watercolor with Dell Keathley. Studying Figure Drawing at the Art League with Lisa Semerad helped my drawing skills.  I have spent the last several years studying at the Yellow Barn Studio where Christine Lashley instructed me in watercolor and beginning oil. The last several years I have been painting both the figure, still life, and en plein air with Walter Bartman, Founder and Director of the Yellow Barn Studio.

Please enjoy of sample of Lee Ann’s art.