Painting gives artist confidence, creative outlet

Painting gives artist confidence, creative outlet

(Leslie Duke)


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SPRINGVILLE — Sometimes a bit of trial and error is required to find your true calling.

For Leslie Duke, her path to being an oil painter was a winding one. First, art was an escape, then a hobby and finally a profession.

Initially, Duke said she didn’t consider herself an artist because it was a popular thing to proclaim at her childhood school. But as a teenager, Duke found herself isolated due to low self-esteem, anxiety and depression. Her parents enrolled her in an art class.

“Every Monday my dad would take a break from work in Salt Lake, pick me up from Farmington Jr. High and take me to Peterson Art Center for the two-hour class,” Duke said. “I took those classes until I graduated from high school. They were where I found encouragement, acceptance and confidence.”

Leslie Duke
View: June 19 - July 10 at Art Access Gallery II, 230 S. 500 West #125, Salt Lake City.

Shop:www.lesliedukeart.com

Follow:https://instagram.com/leslieduke/

Although art was important to her, she did not consider it career worthy, she said. She studied illustration at BYU, with the intention of going to law school when she completed her first degree.

“It didn’t take long for me to learn that you actually can be an artist and not starve,” Duke said. “So I quickly dropped my law school plans and dove into illustration.”

Duke said her plans changed again after she graduated and found that although she was finding work as an illustrator, she had an itch to go back to oil painting, which she had learned under the tutelage of William Whitaker as his apprentice.

“Having the illustration know-how has really opened doors for me,” Duke said. “These days I’m focusing more on painting in my studio. I became interested in communicating through the paint more so than the actual subject matter. Fine art seemed like the best fit for me in that respect.”

Leslie Duke

Duke’s current favorite work is a series called “Expressions in Color,” on display in Salt Lake City. She considers it a breakthrough in her personal study of still life, and said she is excited about the results.

“Bill Whitaker instilled the mantra ‘follow your feelings’ in me,” Duke said. “I’ve taken it to heart, and I tell my students all the time to 'follow your feelings,' whether those feelings are telling you to illustrate Harry Potter fan fiction or move to Mongolia or paint still lifes, your feelings will guide you better than anything else can. Just dive in and follow your feelings.”


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About the Author: Amanda Taylor -------------------------------

Amanda is a writer and pop culture fanatic who studied journalism at BYU. She has written for a candy store, a US Senator, Deseret News, an art museum, Entertainment Weekly magazine, a beauty company, KSL and several artists and musicians. Find her on Twitter @amandataylor88.

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