Clouds and Movement
Meet Artist Lesley Haflich
Lesley Haflich is a fine artist, concentrating in oil paintings, varying in style from impressionistic to abstract. The vibrant, energetic brushstrokes of her paintings give traditional icons of our world a distinct flair.
Lesley grew up on the north side of Indianapolis, earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Purdue University, graduating in 1977 with highest distinction. Upon graduation, she worked as art director for Kiley, Miller and Bain Advertising. She developed many printed pieces and newspaper ads. From there, Lesley went to E & S Sign and Display, where she was art director for several years. She did layouts and oversaw production of many signs and sales displays used in the residential building industry.
In 2006, Lesley became interested in oil painting and has never looked back. She has studied at the Indianapolis Art Center and has taken workshops from nationally renowned artists. She has participated in Penrod, the Indiana State Museum Art Fair and Noblesville’s Art Fair on the Square.
Her paintings are part of permanent collections of PNC Bank, Columbia Club, Indianapolis Sailing Club, Indianapolis Symphony, Jackson Lewis Law Firm, Second Presbyterian Church, Flanner and Buchanan Mortuaries and many national locations.
Lesley has been a Studio Artist at Nickel Plate Arts in Noblesville for the past eight years and has recently become an artist member at the Historic Brown County Art Gallery. “I have been spending tons of time in Brown County since July 2022, soaking up all the inspiring scenery and putting brush to canvas with newfound enthusiasm.” She lives in Noblesville with her husband, Byron, and three children.
Artist Statement
I have always been interested in some form of art: drawing, painting, graphic design, weaving and knitting. For years, I worked in advertising and sign/display design, then became a stay at home mom for my three kids. When my twins entered first grade and were in school full time, my husband bought me an easel/ oil painting kit at Sam's Club and lessons from a local artist. From there, I joined a local art league, the Hamilton County Art Association, where I met fellow like minded artists.
I began painting most days at home and Wednesday mornings with a group at the association. The association sponsored some workshops by nationally known artists, and I learned so much from them about technique and composition. During that time, I also joined a local art co-op, the CCA Gallery, where I sold many paintings over the years. My subjects have always varied from pet portraits to landscapes and some abstract in between. Fast forward to the present where I am an active member of Indiana Plein Air Painters (IPAPA).
I love to take my easel outdoors and experience the setting with its challenges of lighting, clouds and movement. Last summer, I took a workshop from Guido Frick in Bloomington, Indiana, where he taught his five steps to completing a painting on location. 1) Prime the canvas with a thin wash 2) Loosely lay in the composition and shapes with a long, fine pointed brush (always standing and stepping back to get the big picture) 3) Fill in the shapes with solid, simple colors and value, using thin paint 4) Come back with thicker paint and define your shapes with more specific tones and color 5) Finally top off your painting with fine dashes of highlights and lowlights to energise and enhance its completion.
“Art is a form of symbolic expression that taps into the deeper processes of reality, making connections and revealing possibilities that might otherwise go unnoticed. By engaging with the world in a creative and imaginative way, art helps us to re-imagine the world and our place in it. It invites us to participate in the ongoing process of the universe, shaping it through our own creative expression and responding to its ever-changing rhythms and patterns.”
—Robert S. Corrington
