Canby Public Library Art Display
Canby Public Library Featured Artist
Chính Lê and Jeri Lê
Artist Bios
Lê Trung Chính
Born: in Hà Nôi, Việt Nam, 1948
Medium: Silk Painting ART EDUCATION: informal
Membership: Corvallis Art Guild; Corvallis Art Center
Contact: www.le-mail.org, or chinhlego@gmail.com
One weekend in Bodega Bay, CA, in 1995, a good friend showed me the technique of silk painting. A water-resistant resin (“gutta”) is used to outline images on a piece of stretched white silk, then fabric dyes are applied with a simple brush (Serti technique). The colors of the art piece are permanently fixed by a final steaming process.
Painting on silk provides me with reflective moments where my art world is like a coloring book. While the landscape of the Pacific North West is a paradise for artists, scenes of people in their daily life as they work, play, or simply exist are most inspiring to me. More lately, as the world around me gets more unsettling, I have taken to doing portraits of people I admire, and themes of social conscience. Within the swirling gutta contours that frame my figures in their unique life and fate, I fill in the colors of their dreams and passions, allowing each painting to take on its own short tale of fantasy, joy or melancholy.
My subjects are often faceless, for their stories are universal. The people of Viêt Nam will always provide me with my deepest inspiration. The wider world of my travels, reading and music returns me to scenes and stories of our common humanity, all strung together along my own silk road.
I would like to thank my wife Jeri, whose love of bright colors helps me bring out the essence of life in my work, and all our friends and relatives who share in our artistic journeys. Chính Lê, July 2022
Jeri Le
Contact: (jerile38@comcast.net) www.le-mail.org
If I were to choose 3 words to describe my own art, they would be color, whimsy and spontaneity.
Color excites my senses as no other element can. My husband once said that everyone has a wild side, and mine shows in the fabrics I choose, the clothes that beckon me, and the paints that escape from my brush. I think this color excitement was present even when I was a child and chose a bold, yellow winter coat with black stripes across it- and this was in Iowa!
Life often includes some bitter pills, but it also has much joy. I have tempered my bitter pills with a feeling of whimsy in my art, and with my 10 grandchildren. Painting is often a release from those long held feelings of frustration from the past.
I feel the most joy in my art activities when I come to them with a sense of spontaneity. I will then develop them as I view them with an awareness of the principals of good design.
Though I have taken a few art classes and continue to learn by contact with other artists, I am mostly self-taught. I broaden my knowledge of techniques and color by attending art shows and listening to critiques by others. I also am an avid reader of art books and magazines.
While my main media of expression is painting, I also quilt and weave. I paint in watercolor, acrylics and oil. I am also experimenting with mixed media. My hope is that you will enjoy my art while you are here, and take a sense of joy and happiness with you when you leave. May whimsy enliven your life.
Find Chính Lê and Jeri Lê at their website: http://le-mail.org/
Are you interested in being a future Featured Artist?
We are looking for family-friendly art that is fun, colorful, and lively in all sorts of mediums!
Our patrons love artwork that depicts nature, animals, and everyday life.
Some details about us and our art display:
- Featured artwork remains on display for two months
- Our display space holds 12-20 hanging artworks depending on size.
- All pieces must be ready for installation, properly wired/mounted, etc.
- Library staff manage the hanging and removal of art work.
- Artists are welcome to sell their work during the display period. The library does not deal with payments or take any commissions on sales of artwork. All sales go through the artist.
We would love to have your work for our patrons to enjoy, in addition to providing you an opportunity for exposure and sales!
Please see below for more details and to submit your art for consideration.
Types of Art Accepted
We accept 2D art such as painting, drawing, printmaking, mixed media, collage, and photography intended to be hung on a wall. Wall-mounted works must be framed, wired and ready for display. No sawtooth hangers. Due to wall space restrictions, submitted works must not exceed 36 inches in either dimension (including frame), or extend more than 3 inches from the wall. Very heavy artwork that needs to be secured to a wall stud cannot be accepted.
Selection Process
Submissions will be evaluated by Canby Public Library staff for criteria including, but not limited to:
- Overall quality and artistic merit.
- Diversity of media, style, technique, and artistic voice.
- Detail and completeness of application.
- Appropriateness for public display particularly given the all-ages programming commonly held in the library. We will not accept artwork that includes profanity, violence, or explicit content.
Featured Artist Application
