About Lesley Spanos
Lesley Spanos in the studio.
Lesley Spanos is no stranger to agriculture and fairs. As a youth in 4-H she showed cattle and sheep, and entered her art and vegetables in the county fair. Though an urban dweller all her adult life, she’s never gotten over her love of a good agricultural exposition.
Though Lesley is painting almost exclusively in fast-drying acrylics for this project, she’s also well-versed in oils, watercolors, and gouache. She enjoys painting colorful subjects and dramatic light.
Lesley shares a home in Indianapolis with her husband and their German Shepherd mix dog. This summer her organic vegetable garden includes seven varieties of summer squash.
Painting the State Fair
State Fair, USA is artist Lesley Spanos' tribute to the American agricultural fair. "Just about anything I would want to paint can be found at the Fair."
The series is the culmination of years of research. Spanos has photographed and sketched her local fair - the Indiana State Fair - extensively for the past four summers, amassing a large collection of reference material for working in-studio. Ultimately the collection is destined for a book and fine art reproductions. (Read about the project in more depth here.)
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