Leslie Laskey: Amaryllis Land by Bruno David Gallery

L ES L IE L ASKEY Amaryllis Land

bruno david gallery

Leslie Laskey Amaryllis Land

January 18 - February 22, 2020 Bruno David Gallery 7513 Forsyth Boulevard Saint Louis, Missouri 63105, U.S.A. info@brunodavidgallery.com www.brunodavidgallery.com Founder/Director: Bruno L. David This catalogue was published in conjunction with the exhibition “Leslie Laskey: Amaryllis Land” at Bruno David Gallery. Editor: Bruno L. David Catalogue Designer: Lily Hollinden Designer Assistant: Claudia R. David Printed in USA All works courtesy of Leslie Laskey and Bruno David Gallery Photographs by Bruno David Gallery Cover image: Amaryllis Land 20, (detail) 2019 Mixed media on paper 18.75 x 21.25 inches (47.6 x 54 cm.) First Edition Copyright ©2020 Leslie Laskey and Bruno David Gallery All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of Bruno David Gallery

CONTENTS

A BULB BY LESLIE LASKEY AFTERWORD BY BRUNO L. DAVID CHECKLIST AND IMAGES OF THE EXHIBITION BIOGRAPHY

A BULB BY LESLIE LASKEY

A BULB

A TIME TO FIND

SWORD TIP

NEW VOICES,

SEEKING LIGHT

COLOURS

BECOMING

SHAPES

A LEAF

ETUDES

CUTTING THE AIR.

CLAIM THIS TERRITORY

A NEW PROMISE

GATHER – GLEAN

CLIMBING

A NEW SCALE

THE STAIRS OF AIR

BACK TO BASICS

GREEN PARCEL UNFOLDING ITS BEAUTY IN AN EXPLOSION

PARTS NUMBER THE BLOSSOMS SPIN DANCE IN A BLUE STAGE

OF LIGHT

OTHERS

A DREAM,

PREEN IN THEIR BEAUTY

A LAND REVEALED LANGUAGE NEW WITH MUSIC AND POETRY ALL TO EXPLORE WHERE TO BEGIN ?

THIS LAND IS MY LAND FOR THE MOMENT VIST ENJOY AND REMEMBER.

AFTERWORD BY BRUNO L. DAVID

I am pleased to present Amaryllis Land, an exhibition by Leslie Laskey. This is Laskey’s thirteenth exhibition with the gallery. Leslie Laskey’s latest series Amaryllis Land is an experimentation of form, color, and medium that seeks to discover how the same object can make many individual statements. The flowers he draws and paints are not just that; Leslie compares the movement of the petals to dancers on a stage, a stage he crafts through geometric shapes carefully laid out in naturalistic shades of oil paint. Some paintings feature a single flower, large and central, paying close attention to the beauty of the individual form, while his larger collages make use of ripped paper layered together to mimic the formation of petals. The arrangement of each element works together to create a story or a feeling that the flowers are talking amongst themselves within their frames. This work began several years ago in Leslie’s own garden when he became intrigued with the fallen Amaryllis flowers and the marks they left on the ground. Using the flower itself as a mark-making tool he applies the color and organic material directly to his canvas or paper, creating surfaces that are both natural and full of motion while simultaneously controlled and contemplative. The soft pink and red shades left by the crushed petals direct Leslie’s color palette; muted blues and greens are punctuated by bright reds as he builds different visual environments and relationships within each piece. With an expansive background in design, Leslie will often start his process by identifying a problem to solve or question to answer. In this series he asks, “How many ways can I describe the things I love?” He does so by not only gracefully depicting the Amaryllis, but also by exploring the larger context in which these forms relate to the world surrounding him. Leslie Laskey studied at Indiana University and at the Institute of Design in Chicago (now the Illinois Institute of Technology) with founder and American Bauhaus pioneer Lászlò Moholy-Nagy. Currently, he divides his time between St. Louis, MO and Manistee, MI. He is a Professor Emeritus of Architecture at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. Support for the creation of significant new works of art has been the core to the mission and program of the Bruno David Gallery since its founding in 2005. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Leslie Laskey for his thoughtful poem, and to Frank Schwaiger for his tireless support. I am deeply grateful to Lily Hollinden, who gave much time, talent, and expertise to the production of this catalogue. Invaluable gallery staff support for the exhibition was provided by Taylor Fulton, Sara Ghazi Asadollahi, Eliza Reinhardt, Lily Hollinden, and Zoe Duncan.

CHECKLIST & IMAGES OF THE EXHIBITION

Amaryllis Land 21 2019 Mixed media on canvas board 21 1/2 x 21 3/4 inches (54.6 x 55.2 cm)

Amaryllis Land 22 2019 Mixed media on paper 17 3/4 x 17 1/4 inches (45.1 x 43.8 cm)

Amaryllis Land 14 2019 Mixed media on paper 21 x 22 1/2 inches (53.3 x 57.2 cm)

Amaryllis Land 13 2019 Mixed media on paper 19 3/4 x 17 1/4 inches (50.2 x 43.8 cm)

Amaryllis Land 2 2019 Mixed media and collages on paper 15 1/2 x 29 3/4 inches (39.4 x 75.6 cm)

Amaryllis II 2018 Woodcut monoprint 25 3/4 x 31 inches (65.4 x 78.7 cm)

Amaryllis Land 15 2019 Mixed media and on paper 23 x 20 inches (58.4 x 50.8 cm)

Amaryllis Land 8 2019 Oil on board 16 1/2 x 14 inches (41.9 x 35.6 cm)

Amaryllis Land 4 2019 Mixed media and on paper 18 1/2 x 15 3/4 inches (47 x 40 cm)

Amaryllis Land 5 2019 Mixed Media on paper 19 x 14 1/2 inches (48.3 x 36.8 cm)

Amaryllis Land 17 2019 Oil on canvas board 16 1/2 x 20 inches (41.9 x 50.8 cm)

Amaryllis Land 12 2019 Mixed Media on paper 21 1/2 x 18 1/2 inches (54.6 x 47 cm)

Amaryllis Land 30 2019 Oil on board 27 x 24 inches (68.6 x 61 cm)

Amaryllis Land 28 2019 Oil on board 25 1/2 x 26 1/4 inches (64.8 x 66.7 cm)

Amaryllis Land 7 2019 Mixed media on paper 17 x 14 3/4 inches (43.2 x 37.5 cm)

Amaryllis Land 6 2019 Mixed media on paper 20 x 18 inches (50.8 x 45.7 cm)

Amaryllis Land 10 2019 Mixed media on paper 18 x 15 inches (45.7 x 38.1 cm)

Amaryllis Land 25 2019 Mixed media on paper 15 x 14 inches (38.1 x 35.6 cm)

Amaryllis Land 24 2019 Mixed media on paper 17 1/2 x 18 inches (44.5 x 45.7 cm)

Amaryllis Land 26 2019 Mixed media on paper 14 1/2 x 14 1/2 inches (36.8 x 36.8 cm)

Study for Amaryllis 2019 Oil on paper 15 x 9 x 8 inches (38.1 x 22.9 x 20.3 cm)

Amaryllis Land 29 2019 Oil on board 19 x 23 3/4 inches (48.3 x 60.3 cm)

Amaryllis Land 31 2019 Oil on board 22 3/4 x 20 1/2 inches (57.8 x 52.1 cm)

Amaryllis Land 16 2019 Oil on board 19 x 18 inches (48.3 x 45.7 cm)

Amaryllis Land 18 2019 Mixed media on paper 16 3/4 x 16 1/4 inches (42.5 x 41.3 cm)

Amaryllis Land 1 2019 Mixed media and collages on paper 19 1/2 x 26 inches (49.5 x 66 cm)

Amaryllis Land 3 2019 Mixed media and collages on paper 25 x 22 1/4 inches (63.5 x 56.5 cm)

Amaryllis Land 35 2019 Mixed media on paper 16 1/2 x 14 inches (41.9 x 35.6 cm)

Amaryllis Land 19 2019 Mixed media on paper 18 3/4 x 15 1/2 inches (47.6 x 39.4 cm)

Amaryllis Land 23 2019 Oil on board 25 3/4 x 20 1/2 inches (65.4 x 52.1 cm)

Amaryllis Land 20 2019 Mixed media on paper 18 3/4 x 21 1/4 inches (47.6 x 54 cm)

Amaryllis Land 32 2019 Oil on board 27 x 24 3/4 inches (68.6 x 62.9 cm)

Amaryllis Land 11 2019 Mixed media on paper 16 1/2 x 14 inches (41.9 x 35.6 cm)

LESLIE LASKEY American, b. 1921 Lives and works in St. Louis, Missouri and Manistee, Michigan EDUCATION Institute of Design (Illinois Institute of Technology), Chicago, IL

ONE-PERSON EXHIBITIONS 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2011

2010 2009 2008 2007

Bruno David Gallery, Leslie Laskey: Amaryllis Land, May, St. Louis, MO (Catalogue) Bruno David Gallery, Leslie Laskey: Clouds and Eclipse, May, St. Louis, MO (Catalogue) Bruno David Gallery, Leslie Laskey: La Leçon d’Anatomie, March, St. Louis, MO (Catalogue) Bruno David Gallery, Leslie Laskey: Cloud Images - Eclipse, November, St. Louis, MO (Catalogue) Bruno David Gallery, Leslie Laskey: DUETS, December 2016-January 2017, St. Louis, MO (Catalogue) Columbia Foundation Gallery, Leslie Laskey: DROP-OUTS, St. Louis, MO (Catalogue) Bruno David Gallery, Leslie Laskey: A Gathering: Muses-Fates-Furies, St. Louis, MO (Catalogue) Bullivant Gallery, Leslie Laskey: Floral+, St. Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery, Leslie Laskey: Embrology, October, St. Louis, MO (Catalogue) Bruno David Gallery, Leslie Laskey: Windows, September, St. Louis, MO (Catalogue) Manierre Dawson Gallery, Leslie Laskey, Community College, Scottville, MI Bruno David Gallery, Leslie Laskey: S.E.N.T., September-October, St. Louis, MO (Catalogue) Steinberg Hall Gallery, Leslie Laskey: Retrospective, Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, September 9-October 1, St. Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery, Portrait: Artist and Friends, November, St. Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery, Leslie Laskey: Tango, September-October, St. Louis, MO (Catalogue) Bruno David Gallery, Leslie Laskey: Work, March-April, St. Louis, MO New Space Gallery, Leslie Laskey and Frank Schwaiger, May, St. Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery (New Media Room), Archeologie, July-August, St. Louis, MO

2006 Sheldon Art Galleries, Ars Botanica: Works by Leslie Laskey, September 29, 2006 – January 27, 2007, St. Louis, MO Ellen Curlee Gallery, Leslie Laskey: Lilium, September-October, 2006 Bruno David Gallery, Leslie Laskey: Realms, May 5-27, St. Louis, MO 2005 Gallery of Contemporary Art, Journeys, Territories, Adventures, (St. Louis Community College-Forest Park), February 7-25, St. Louis, MO 2004 Columbia Foundation, MMIII (with Frank Schwaiger), St. Louis, MO Cherokee Gallery, Doll (Portraits), St. Louis, MO 2003 Columbia Foundation, Redux: Work on Paper (Amaryllis Suite), St. Louis, MO 2001 Columbia Foundation, Duet (with Frank Schwaiger), St. Louis, MO 1999 Columbia Foundation, New Works (with Frank Schwaiger), St. Louis, MO 1995 Gallery of Contemporary Art, Opus 1995 Variations, (St. Louis Community College-Forest Park), September, St. Louis, MO 1989 Elliot Smith Gallery, Leslie Laskey: Encounters: Prints, Drawings, Paintings, Sculpture, September-October, St. Louis, MO 1987 Bixby Gallery, Leslie Laskey Retrospective, St. Louis, MO Elliot Smith Gallery, Sticks, St. Louis, MO 1985 North Carolina State Museum, Leslie Laskey, Raleigh, NC 1984 Elliot Smith Gallery, On Paper: Leslie Laskey Suite of New Drawings, St. Louis, MO 1980 Martin Schweig Gallery, Leslie Laskey, St. Louis, MO 1979 Talisman Gallery, Leslie Laskey, St. Louis, MO 1978 St. George’s Gallery, Leslie Laskey, London, England

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2020 2019 2018 2017 2015 2014 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007

OVERVIEW_2020, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO OVERVIEW_2019, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO SMALL WORLDS, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO (catalog) OVERVIEW_2017, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO (catalog) AND / OR, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO (catalog) Halftone, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO OVERVIEW_2014, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO BLUE-WHITE-RED, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO W.O.P. I, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO OVERVIEW_10, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO OVERVIEW_09, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO OVERVIEW_08, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO ArtsDesire, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri.

2006 2005 2004 2002 1988 1987 1986 1983

OVERVIEW_07, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO OVERVIEW, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO Inaugural Exhibition, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO RITUAL, Zeitgeist Gallery, October-November, Nashville, TN Mentors: Inspiration, Influence, Expertise, St. Louis Artists’ Guild Gallery, St. Louis, MO The Bauhaus Legacy in St. Louis: Woodcuts by Werner Drewes, Leslie Laskey, and Jim Harris, Curated by Olivia Lahs-Gonzales, Sheldon Art Galleries, St. Louis, MO Directions ‘88, Elliot Smith Gallery St. Louis, MO House, Garden: A Sense of Place, Elliot Smith Gallery St. Louis, MO Directions ‘87, Elliot Smith Gallery St. Louis, MO Directions ‘86, Elliot Smith Gallery St. Louis, MO Group Exhibition, Print Club Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

BIBLIOGRAPHY Marks, Kerry Hollerbach, Bryan Langdon, Paul Meersohn, Rayan Elena Vergara Marks, Kerry Hollerbach, Bryan Marks, Kerry

“Leslie Laskey” TV interview for HEC-TV, January 24, 2020 “Omega and Alpha”, LADUE NEWS, March 7, 2019 “Leslie Laskey” TV interview for HEC-TV, March 12, 2019 “Leslie Laskey”, Wall Street International Magazine, March 2019 “Leslie Laskey” TV interview for HEC-TV, October 17, 2017 “At 96, Leslie Laskey Continues to Create and Conceive with Art”, LADUE NEWS, March 9, 2017 “Leslie Laskey” TV interview for HEC-TV, January 16, 2017

Lowenstein, Michael Fowler, Nancy & Arnold, Willis Griesbach, Hermes Sarah

“The Art of the Process.” Bruno David Gallery Publications (catalogue) November 2014 “Leslie Laskey and Frank Schwaiger.” Radio interview, NPR/KWMU, October 23, 2014

Gay, Malcolm

“And suddenly, there was a frame.” Bruno David Gallery Publications (catalogue) September 2013

Fowler, Nancy Harris, Jim

“Leslie Laskey: The Art of Life, A Life in Art.” St. Louis Beacon, September 7, 2011 “Leslie Laskey.” Bruno David Gallery Publications (catalogue) September 2011

Vallowe, Megan Harris, Jim Bonetti, David. Gay, Malcolm Duffy, Robert ____________. Gay, Malcolm Friswold, Paul . Duffy, Robert Drury Dubinsky, Yvette. Miller, Rob. ____________. Murphy, Ann

“S.E.N.T. Security Envelopes Now Tampered.” Bruno David Gallery Publications (catalogue) September 2011 “Leslie Laskey: Tango.” Bruno David Gallery Publications (catalogue) September 2009 “Leslie Laskey: Shows Illustrate Art-design Connection.”, St. Louis Post Dispatch, March 30, 2008 “Art Capsules: Leslie Laskey.” Riverfront Times, March 12, 2008 “A Testament of Blossoms and Bones.” Bruno David Gallery Publications (catalogue) March 2008 “Leslie Laskey.” Art-Patrol, March 19, 2008 “Everything’s Coming Up Laskey.” Riverfront Times, September 28, 2006 “Coin of the Realms.” Riverfront Times. p. 25, May 4, 2006 “Ars Botanica: Works by Leslie J. Laskey.” Riverfront Times, November 2006 “Leslie Laskey: Realms.” Bruno David Gallery Publication, May 5, 2006 “’Leslie Laskey: Realms” Saintlouisart, May 24, 2006. http://saintlouisart.blogspot.com/ “Doll face”, St. Louis Post Dispatch, April 21, 2005 “ARTful Living,” The Healthy Planet, February 2005

“Artists plumb their unconscious for Bruno David.” St. Louis Beacon, September 23, 2013

Crone, Tomas. Beall, Hugh. Miller, Rob. Cooper, Ivy. Bonetti, David. Crone, Tomas. Miller, Rob. Bonetti, David. Sieloff, Alison. Bonetti, David. Murphy, Anne. Miller, Rob. Beall, Hugh. Griffin, William Bonetti, David.

“Bruno David to Open on Friday”, 52nd City, October 2005 “The Bruno buzz”, West End Word, October 26, 2005 “’Over hung’ show or ‘Hung over’ critic?” Saintlouisart, November 17, 2005 “Bruno David Gallery: Inaugural Exhibition”, Riverfront Times, November 9, 2005 “Bruno David Gallery”, St. Louis Post Dispatch, November 9, 2005 “Bruno David Gallery”, 52nd City, October 2005, http://blog.52ndcity.com/archives “Bruno David Gallery: Inaugural Exhibition”, Saintlouisart, October 25, 2005. http://saintlouisart.blogspot.com/ “Bruno David Gallery: Inaugural Exhibition”, St. Louis Post Dispatch, October 20, 2005 “Grand Grand Center”, Riverfront Times, October 19, 2005 “Gallery musical chairs”, St. Louis Post Dispatch, October 1, 2005 “Art News”, The Healthy Planet, September 2005, http://www.thehealthyplanet.com/sept05_artfulliving.htm “Bruno David Gallery: Inaugural Exhibition”, Saintlouisart, October 25, 2005. http://saintlouisart.blogspot.com/ “Bruno David Gallery: Inaugural Exhibition”, Illusion Junkie, October 25, 2005. Web Video. http://illusionjunkie.blogspot.com/2005/10/bruno-david-inaugural-exhibition.html “Bruno David Gallery: Inaugural Exhibition”, St. Louis Post Dispatch, October 20, 2005

Sieloff, Alison. Bonetti, David. Murphy, Anne. ____________.

“Grand Grand Center”, Riverfront Times, October 19, 2005 “Gallery musical chairs”, St. Louis Post Dispatch, October 1, 2005 “Art News”, The Healthy Planet, September 2005, http://www.thehealthyplanet.com/sept05_artfulliving.htm “Leslie Laskey.” Riverfront Times, September 25, 2002

PUBLICATIONS - FILM “FORTY-SEVEN VIEWS OF LESLIE LASKEY” Film documentary, cinematography by Lulu Gargiulo and Directed by David Wild, (00.47 minutes) (VIMEO https://vimeo.com/81783642 )

GRANTS & AWARDS 1982 1986 1987

Rockefeller Foundation Grant (Print Making and Graphic Arts) Washington University Distinguished Faculty Award Distinguished Professor Award (Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture) Washington University Professor Emeritus

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ARTISTS Sara Ghazi Asadollahi Laura Beard Heather Bennett Lisa K. Blatt Michael Byron Bunny Burson Judy Child Carmon Colangelo Alex Couwenberg Terry James Conrad Jill Downen Damon Freed

Yvette Drury Dubinsky Douglass Freed Richard Hull Kelley Johnson Chris Kahler Leslie Laskey Justin Henry Miller James Austin Murray Yvonne Osei Patricia Olynyk Gary Passanise

Charles P. Reay Daniel Raedeke Tom Reed Frank Schwaiger Charles Schwall Christina Shmigel Thomas Sleet Buzz Spector Mark Travers Monika Wulfers