Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Plimpton.
Hi Leslie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
When I was a little girl, I watched my mother color in oil onto professional portrait photography that was mounted on board before color photography became the norm. She also did a few oil paintings for herself on the side. It never occurred to me that someday I would become an artist. I went to the Art Institute and later the Metropolitan Museum of Art and found that my favorite artist was John Singer Sargent. I seemed to resonate with figurative artwork the most.
In my 20s, I decided to study film and video production and later ended up working for a professional photographer whose work was published around the world. When he decided to digitize his work, I suddenly discovered a desire to learn how to paint. When I was 40, I decided to go back to school to study art – painting and sculpting, eventually earning a BA in Studio Art. My favorite subject matter was always fashion. I combined portraits of fashion models with real clothing or fabric that I collaged onto my canvases for the clothes.
Later, some art colleagues of mine introduced me and other art friends to the medium of printmaking. After experimenting with this, we formed a group called the inkspots of San Buenaventura, and the group has been showing their work every year for the past 17 years. I was additionally juried into the Santa Barbara Printmakers, another professional printmaking group, as well as the Santa Barbara Art Association. One of my goals after becoming an artist, was to get juried into the Ojai Studio Artists group. They are a distinguished group of artists that open up their studios to the public every year over Columbus Day weekend for three days to show people where and how they make their work. They have now been doing this for over 40 years. I was juried into the group in 2020. Being a member of this group has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. They also do two shows per year, one at the Ojai Valley Museum and another at the Beatrice Woods Center for the Arts. I am also a juried member of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society.
My printmaking has led me to be invited to show my work at the 11th Biennial International Printmaking Exhibition in Douro, Portugal in 2023. I was also juried into an exhibition titled, “Fashionistas 2025” at the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art by Manon Thibodot, the Curatorial Projects Officer at the Centre Pompidou. I am also currently participating in an exhibition in the New York gallery, Artifact Projects titled “Daring (I’m) Possibilities” where I also participated in a show there last year as well. Those are a few of the highlights I have experienced on my journey.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It doesn’t seem that hardly anything in life has a smooth road. When I started taking drawing classes, I was really not good at it at all. Life drawing was a challenge, but I had a terrific teacher where I started studying at Ventura College. My first class in Life Drawing saw me receive a grade of C. The next semester of Life Drawing, I was happy to see a grade of B. Then my final semester, I received an A with my teacher telling me I was the most improved! But I find that it is always a skill that needs continuous practice.
Additionally, the year I decided to apply to the Ojai Studio Artists group, I was told you may not get accepted the first time you apply. While my husband who is a renowned internationally published photographer was invited to become an Honorary Lifetime Member, I had to apply like any other artist who wanted to become a member. Sadly, I did not get accepted, despite some of the members trying to fight to get me into the group. However, I continued to show my artwork with the other groups that I was a member of and kept on making art. It took me six years to get up the nerve to reapply. I was ecstatic to be accepted and now cherish that membership to this day.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work has always been about the fashion industry, showing different aspects of what we see. One series I have become known for is portraits of famous fashion designers done in either dry point etching or monotype. Some of these have won awards at juried shows. Another on-going series I have created are “girls in sunglasses” as this is a large part of the fashion industry that doesn’t get as much notice but almost everyone participates in. I have really had fun with these as there are so many variations of technique I can do with my printmaking skills – monotype, chine colle’, dry point etching and collage. These have been a very popular series with my clients, as well. I also love vintage fashion and have shown fashion models in past designs from previous eras.
One series I got into was about Marie Antoinette and fashions from her time. She was a fashion trendsetter and the aristocracy followed the styles she chose, for better or worse. She was the first woman to adopt men’s riding clothes, long before Coco Chanel was born.
Additionally, I created a set of women’s ceramic shoes, that show how a woman changes her clothing with every activity she does. But what I started out doing with my art was to paint portraits of fashion models and collage actual clothing or fabric for their fashion styles.
I am proud of sticking with my subject matter, even though it may or may not appeal to a mass audience. But it is more fun for me to create from a place of inspiration, as opposed to just what I might sell more of. Plus, I think that is what sets my work apart from others, having stuck with my theme and exploring different facets of the fashion industry.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My advice for anyone just starting out in art is to get a good foundation in your skills. One of the best and most important things an artist can do is to draw from life, whether it is a human model, a still life or a landscape. This really allows the artist to learn “how to see.” Constant practice is critical and will help improve your skills. It is a skill that must be maintained over time. Taking workshops has also been really valuable for me personally to learn new techniques and see other perspectives on how to create. They are also a fun way to see how others work as you can also learn from your colleagues.
Pricing:
- -New collectors should consider purchasing works on paper
- -It is a great entry point that is more affordable
- -It can allow for the purchase of a high caliber artist at a more affordable price point
Contact Info:
- Website: https://LeslieFashionArt.com
- Instagram: @LesliePlimpton
- Facebook: Leslie Plimpton
- Other: LeslieFashionArt@gmail.com
