Show Preview | Lee MacLeod

Albuquerque, NM
Purple Sage Galeria, July 12-27

Lee MacLeod, Fall Chamisa, oil, 10 x 8.

This story was featured in the July 2014 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art July 2014 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story!

“Lee MacLeod is an artist who  truly captures the feeling of the great outdoors in the Land of Enchantment,” says Anita Blythe, owner of Purple Sage Galeria in Albuquerque, NM. “What first captures your attention are his beautiful clouds. They may have silver linings on a stormy day or a soft glow of pink as they float along the desert horizon. His skies, along with striking contrasts of light and shadow, transform the landscape view into a tranquil oasis,” she says. This month, the gallery displays up to 25 new works by MacLeod in a solo show titled Here and There, Paintings of the Southwest and Beyond. An opening reception with the artist takes place on Saturday, July 12, from 5 to 8 p.m. and the show runs through July 27.

While MacLeod enjoys painting both in his studio and outdoors, the vast majority of works in this show are plein-air paintings of the New Mexico landscape. The “and beyond” in the show’s title refers to additional paintings MacLeod  created on recent trips to Colorado, California, and Italy. The Santa Fe-based artist enjoys traveling now and then but says he finds endless inspiration in his home state. “I’m always looking for places to paint as I drive around,” he says. When he finds a place that holds some promise, he begins “scoping it out” to determine whether a certain time of day would work best for the lighting, shadows, or other dramatic effects of the environment on the landscape. But while the scene itself provides the impetus and general composition for the painting, MacLeod does not aim to create an exact replication of what he sees—most of his works are loose, not highly rendered. “I try to capture the spirit of a place without being too literal about it,” he explains. “I want it to look like a painting, but also an interpretation of something. I want the viewer to get a feel for the environment the painting was created in, and to really experience the energy of that environment in the artwork.” Blythe feels that MacLeod achieves all this and more. “He is truly becoming a master of the art of plein-air painting,” she says. —Lindsay Mitchell

contact information
505.450.4059
www.purplesagegaleria.com

Featured in the July 2014 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
Southwest Art July 2014 print issue or digital download Or subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss a story!