Fire in the Belly I Painting

Artist's note: For many years I worked on a series of paintings I refer to as the 'Alchemy' series, driven to create works with an ancient patina. "Alchemy refers to a quest for a fabled elixir capable of turning copper to gold, and quest for the 'philosophers' stone', a mythical potion that grants the drinker eternal life and ultimate wisdom." I find myself fascinated by the idea of transforming one element into another and the stories of this ancient quest. Many of the paintings shown here are from this series. I threw myself into these pieces, spending countless hours creating them. To achieve the patina I was searching for, experimentation evolved to a base of textured mediums, adding liquid bronze or copper mixed with colored pigments, glazed with metallic powders, highlighting the textured surface. When well lit, these pieces glow, offering endless details of interest as well as depth of spirit. In recent years, the loft where I enjoyed a large studio space was sold. Moving to a new space coincided with many significant life changes, and much like my life, it seems my work has taken a different direction. Like me, the new series is evolving, and although a departure from "Alchemy", I am excited about where it is headed and hope you enjoy all my work. Review "Alchemy" series: Lemberg's multi-layered and highly textured paintings are alive with organic, rich surfaces that combine to create works glowing with an ancient spirit. "I love Italian frescoes and buildings which have aged for hundreds of years. The interaction between nature and some of our most magnificent creations results in beautiful hues and light that reflects a depth of spirit. The centuries of human touch have worn away the painted surfaces. The historical and spiritual connection reflected in these ornamented and peeling surfaces has always captivated me. The stories that they evoke fascinate me. Beauty for me is found in the crevices and wrinkles, the patina of experience. The marks, textures, scars in an aged surface are all evidence, a link to the journey taken”. Beginning with varied layers of bronze, copper and gold, Leslie burnishes the textured surfaces with deep earth pigments and powdered metals. She ages it with transparent glazes and what she calls "decayed light,” developing surface and subtle color shifts that yield a rich multi-layered patina flush with golden light.