Leroy LeFlore, winner of many awards for his paintings, takes the spotlight as Featured Artist for June at the Galveston Art League Gallery, 2117A Postoffice St. The downtown Galveston gallery is open from 12:00pm to 6:00pm Fridays through Sundays.
LeFlore will exhibit and sell approximately 10 works in the Art League Gallery as part of the nonprofit organization’s June member show. Other league members also will display their work in the gallery and online, with all pieces for sale. To shop online, please visit and click on “June show.”
Inspired by the beauty of Galveston Island – waves, clouds, birds, palms, boats, and more – LeFlore paints four to six hours daily. He says the island’s wetlands and beaches, harbor and ship channel, wildlife and subtropical skies provide varied subject matter. He paints plein air (outdoors) and in his studio. “Time at the easel is what matters most,” he says. “Yes, attending demos, training sessions, learning from other artists, competition are all necessary for improvement, but time at the easel is what matters the most.
“My preferred medium is oil. It is the most flexible and forgiving medium. Watercolors are more difficult, restrictive and unforgiving. For those reasons I continually challenge myself to do watercolors. If I can master that medium, I’d be a better artist.
“Acrylics with their fast drying has never appealed to me. I like wet-on-wet oil painting for all the effects I can get,” LeFlore explains. “To try to master a new medium, to go through that learning curve producing mediocre results, is not something I’m willing to take on at this stage of my life. I want to get better at want I’m doing now.”
He is active in Galveston Art League and sits on the all-volunteer organization’s board as director of member shows. He also belongs to Oil Painters of America, Outdoor Painters Society, Southwest Plein Air Artists, American Society of Marine Artists and National Society of Artists.
LeFlore ramped up his brushwork after a 32-year career as a marine engineer, which accounts for his interest in maritime history and the nautical subject matter in much of his art. “I attended Texas A&M at Galveston from ’71-’75 and upon graduating, remained in Galveston. All but the last four years of my career were spent on ships. The last four years were spent primarily in Malaysia and Nigeria on offshore production platforms.”
He says that creating art is eye-opening and rewarding for him. “When I step out into my world, I’m impressed by it. It is extraordinary. I want to arrest people’s attention and make them aware of the wonderful world they live in. Our lives become mundane and ordinary, but the world never is. Be aware of that.
“Benefits to painting are remarkable. I can’t think of any other activity that can so focus the mind in absolute concentration for a few hours at a time. If we sit in front of a movie for a couple of hours, we ‘zone out.’ When we stand in front of an easel for a couple of hours, we are problem-solving, stimulated, strategizing, gratifying, agonizing and, so important in these times, shutting out the noise and chaos.”
LeFlore encourages artists to step out of their comfort zones. “As an artist, validation is essential. Without putting your work out there, it’s easier to be become complacent and think you’re doing all right. Put your work up against others’, and it becomes apparent that it’s perhaps not so good. Validation comes from awards and sales.”
The Galveston Art League’s member and judged shows, 12 per year, offer artists this opportunity with low-cost memberships and fees to exhibit, compete and sell. The 107-year-old Art League, which has never had a salaried employee on its staff, is accepting members now. To learn about memberships for artists as well as non-artists, visit www.GalvestonArtLeague.com and click on “Join” at the top of the homepage. Or feel free to email gallery2117@gmail.com.
