“I believe we heal through our subconscious and there’s meaning in everything around us so I pay attention to my dreams and my daydreams. Every feather you find, every color…It’s all trying to tell you something.”
In the artist’s words…
Lesley Nelson, Evansville, Indiana Artist
I received my associate degree in visual communication/graphic arts from Ivy Tech. I did a small amount of freelance work, applied for a couple graphic design jobs but ultimately decided to stay in jewelry at the time where I had been working. I received certifications through DCA (Diamond Council of America) and GIA (Gemological Institute of America) and worked at Helzberg Diamonds and Kay Jewelers up until I delivered my first child, Sam. When he was small, I waited tables for awhile as I was also doing custom upholstery out of my basement. I decided to return to Helzberg when I was pregnant with my 2nd child, Katie. I continued to do some seamstress & upholstery jobs while she was little. I’ve always had a side hustle but ultimately my babies were first. I always said once I got my kids in school I’d focus on art again. I’ve always drawn and loved different artistic things but you just have a different life when your kids are little.
When Katie started kindergarten, I bought myself a huge set of watercolors. I always had my pencils, colored pencils, and pastels but I had never really done much painting. I started with watercolors and loved it for a while and I still do occasionally, but I feel like acrylics are more for me. Once I started with acrylics, I feel like it became an addiction.
My first art show was the 50 years in Evansville in 2019. I’ve always been shy and struggled with confidence and that’s the year I decided to start putting my stuff out there!
I feel in control of my own life when I paint or at least the acceptance of things I can’t control by doing something good. It’s hard to explain but it’s empowering for me. I have a lot of rejection from family members and painting everyday became a meditative practice for me. Something good, something that was by me and for me, something nobody could take from me. Out of all the things that have been taken from me, nobody could ever take this. It’s about the journey for me. The quest for happiness and acceptance and helping people around me to strive for the good also.
IN CLOSING
“As an artist I’m all over the map but I’ll try to explain myself… I’m a vivid dreamer and I truly believe in the meaning behind your dreams so I paint from my dreams often. I had a dream that red spiders were pouring from the walls. I know it sounds like you’d be scared but in my dream I was happy and curious. You should always pay attention to the emotions in your dream, not just the elements. I googled red spiders that morning and came across the red spider lily flowers. I was blown away by the deep meaning of them. I believe we heal through our subconscious and there’s meaning in everything around us so I pay attention to my dreams and my daydreams. Every feather you find, every color…It’s all trying to tell you something.”
Lesley takes commissions too. Commission a piece by contacting Jessica at jessica@inmanspictureframing.com.
Fine Art Printing
Did you know you can get your art prints made through us here at Inman’s? We offer a variety of paper choices such as matte, glossy, luster, fine art, watercolor and canvas.
And yes, we do giclée prints as well.
What’s a Giclée you ask? From the French term “gicleur” which means to spray, a giclée is a type of fine art print created by using a high resolution inkjet printer to spray the ink on archival paper. Archival paper is known for its durability as it’s acid free and won’t degrade or age like regular paper.
Photographs courtesy of Jeff Walin, art by Cynthia Watson and Lori Rivera