November 21, 2024November 22, 2024 News

Risen from the Ashes

This summer I got a call from my friends Janet Russell and Bill Carlson, who own Creative Framing Art Gallery in Louisville, CO. They’re two of the kindest people I know and when I was just starting my career as a professional artist, they displayed my work in their gallery. They were calling with a new request that touched my heart.

On December 30, 2021, we all watched the news in horror as my former community went up in flames. The wind-driven Marshall Fire erupted into the most costly wildfire in Colorado history, evolving in one hour from a grass fire into a suburban firestorm that killed two peole, destroyed 1,084 homes and seven commercial properties as it swept into the Boulder suburbs of Louisville and Superior.*

Lisa and Dave Hughes are among the survivors. They, like many of their friends and neighbors, lost their home and have finally been able to rebuild. They were hoping to complete their home with some meaningful art.

Creative Framing was just launching their HeART program to help victims of the Marshall Fire find new art for their now-rebuilt homes. They’re offering in-home consultations and making the art affordable with a special discounted rate shared by the gallery and the artists. They wanted to partner with me on a project for Lisa and Dave and I agreed to help.

*Leslie painting “Gates of Tomorrow” at Salida Art Walk in October.*

Janet and Bill helped identify the ideal location in the new home for a statement piece and it was decided that two square paintings would stack on the wall in the tall entryway. They proposed some great concepts based on paintings I’d done previously. I then worked closely with Lisa and Dave to sketch some additional concepts. The first painting was based on one I’d done of the Arkansas River in Autumn that they connected with. The second painting was a new one inspired by a rafting trip to the Gates of Ladore (special thanks to my friend David Evans for the inspiration shot.) Our goal was to get them to Lisa and Dave in time for Thanksgiving. I’m so pleased that we delivered the paintings to their beautiful new home a week early.

I titled the first one “After the Storm” to represent the calm after the storm they survived. The second painting is called “Gates of Tomorrow.” We don’t know what lies ahead through that canyon, but based on the warm light and calm skies, it looks quite promising. That’s our hope for Lisa and Dave too. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.