Ali Leja. This painting of hers grabbed me right away. It seems like there have been more bear sightings this year (or more people posting about bear sightings) – so this painting seemed apropos for today’s feature!
This looks exactly like a bear who is hungry, yet done in such a loose way – it struck me. This is a fabulous painting. It’s a good size to hang over a mantel, especially if you have a cabin in the mountains – pretty perfect, isn’t it? Ali said that this painting is acrylic, but she’s also used charcoal, oil crayons, ink and pencil. All those different textures and colors add interest. The eyes are looking right at you!
Ali has a great mixture of subjects from subdued but “abstracty” (apparently a word I invented) still lifes to flowers and on and on…
See more of Ali’s work via these links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Read a bit about Ali, from her website:
Ali Leja is a self-taught instinctual painter having lived the majority of her life learning to trust her inclinations. As a former school counselor of 20 years, Ali guided her students based on intuition and verification. She applies the same concept to her paintings. She has a feeling of where a color or line should be, she places it on the canvas and then steps back to evaluate. Ali is not surprised by her 2nd career choice of becoming a painter. She spent most of her life designing her home and collecting art. In fact, she comes from a long line of creative women including interior decorators and flea market enthusiasts.
Ali’s work is described as happy and joyful. Each painting is done in such a way to evoke a smile or laughter from her audience. Having overcome many obstacles in her life, Ali makes the conscious choice to focus on positivity. This is evident by looking at her paintings. Ali’s appreciation of life goes beyond her art. She is the mother of two wonderful boys, Liam and Quin Thor, avid rescuer of dogs – current pack includes Lily, Stella and Anna Delicious and she is married to a native Icelander, Helgi Thor.
Catch you back here tomorrow!