Without even trying, I’ve ended up in a small, burgeoning creative community. One of our talented neighbors makes Mid Century inspired furniture and has long held a dream of opening his own home furnishings boutique. So when he mentioned he would be opening a Pop Up storefront in our little downtown, it took it as a fun chance to help a friend and our local community and maybe just sell a few older paintings.
This special group of paintings we selected from my studio are very inspired by where we live in the Skagit Valley– a mix of abstracted water and vegetative views.
All the paintings available at Small Spaces can be found on their website and are available to purchase there. These paintings are only available from Small Spaces for a limited time– only through September 2025.
Thanks for stopping by for a chat with me! More to come from the studio soon.
Hiya! I have a couple more shows opening this month to tell you about, just in case you missed them on my social media feeds.
SHELTER, a mixed media, group art exhibition featuring new works from Janet Eskridge, Kim Ferreira, Lesley Frenz and Duy Huynh. We explore various themes of ‘shelter’, from man-made and naturally occurring structures that nurture and protect, to symbolic spaces that offer emotional respite and refuge.
my work in SHELTER
SHELTER is up at Lark & Key in Charlotte and shoppable online on their website. The show is now through November 27th, their regular retail hours are 10am-3pm Wed- Fri and by appointment. They are open the 2nd Saturday and Sunday of each month, as well!
Something New, is a group show featuring new work by Robert Adams, Najin Bae, John Karl Claes, Jaime Longa, Manuel Nunes, Abigale Palmer, Justin Wheatley, and moi.
like a siren, acrylic on canvas, 36x36x1.5
Something New will be up at Elliott Fouts Gallery in Sacramento until November 7th and also shoppable online (isn’t the 21st century great?! You can buy art in your pjs!)
Also, a bunch of new work is coming to J. Rinehart Gallery in Seattle next month! I am super pleased to be joining the roster of artists in this new Pioneer Square gallery and happy to add a retail gallery to my Seattle representation!
Stay tuned for more on that new round of work– it’s an exciting bunch!
I feel like I should apologize, friends. It seems like lately the only time I come onto the blog is to announce a new show or venture. I really never wanted it to be this way here when I shifted the blog’s focus from the work of others to my own. But my studio work has been keeping me so very busy that there really isn’t much time or energy left over for the blog. I would love for that to change and perhaps over time it will, but for now, here I am, telling you about a new show!
My work was happily accepted into the 2019 Emerging Artists Show at Anne Irwin Fine Art in Atlanta. Work from a new series, ENTANGLEMENTS, debuted in Atlanta on August 2nd and will be at AIFA until September 2nd.
This new series has been germinating in the back of my mind for a long time and while maybe I should have taken a safer route by sending tried and true LEMOLO landscapes or ECHOES for this show, when I began painting, these came out and I felt like I needed to take a chance on them. Call it a gut feeling.
ENTANGLEMENTS is based in part on quantum entanglement (“During entanglement, the physical characteristics of the individual atomic components become blurred beyond recognition..” ) but it goes beyond that– as intrigued as I am by quantum entanglement, I am more interested in what it means for us as spiritual beings in human form, our connectedness with our Maker, each other, and the material world around us.
You can see all the work in the AIFA show online here and my specifically my work, here. If you’re in the Atlanta area, I hope you’ll stop by Anne Irwin Fine Art to see the work in person!
I hope to have more to share about this series and my thoughts behind it in the weeks to come. It is a truly powerful thought to consider how intricately we are all connected to everyone, everything.
Anne Irwin Fine Art is located at 690 Miami Circle NE #150, Atlanta, GA. Gallery hours are Monday – Friday, 10am-5pm and by appointment.
It’s been 3 years since my last show at Art & Light Gallery and I’m so excited to be heading back to Greenville on May 3rd for the opening of Breath | Air, a two person show with Asheville artist, Alicia Armstrong.
Alicia paints beautiful figurative work in which she intertwines the female figure with intricate, vintage wallpaper-like patterns. We both approach our subjects from a desire to create from a place of memory– our paintings are not literal but layered in atmosphere and color.
such tender dreams, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 24×20
From “Oxygen” by Mary Oliver “You are breathing patiently;
it is a
beautiful sound. It is
your life..
Then it settles
to quietude, or maybe gratitude, as it feeds
as we all do, as we must, upon the invisible gift:
our purest, sweet necessity: the air.”
We are in a constant state of exchange with our environment– we are one, as the air that fills our lungs and gives us life is the same air that sustains all of the life that surrounds us. We breathe the air that becomes the breath, that breath becomes air– a continuous, interdependent cycle of life.
If you’re in the Greenville area, I hope you’ll come by the Breath | Air opening on Friday, May 3rd to see the show and say hello! The show will be up at Art & Light through the end of May.
I’ve been working on lots of new watercolors lately and am thrilled for the first batch to be debuting in the Earth Water Sky show at Lark & Key Gallery this month!
further XXIII, watercolor and cold wax on cradled wood panel, 10x8x1.5
further XXIV, watercolor and cold wax on cradled wood panel, 10x8x1.5
The gallery is open for viewing Wednesdays- Fridays and by appointment. They will also host an open house Saturday and Sunday, April 13th and 14th, if you’re in the Charlotte area. But if you aren’t in NC, don’t despair! You can peruse the entire exhibition (and purchase if you so desire) online!
I hope you’ll check out the show! More watercolors will be popping up in other places soon!
I always think of this time of year as the season of sparkle– everything from the twinkle lights to the frosty morning dew feels glittering and special. I’m honored to be a part of the Small Gemsshow at Elliott Fouts Gallery, a showcase of small works perfect for gift giving!
new ECHOES 12×12 paintings now at Elliott Fouts Gallery
Living on the water in the Pacific Northwest, each day is spent gazing out and seeing how the water’s surface shifts and changes with the evolving light throughout the day, from the pink light of early morning to the glittering of evening lights across the water.
gold spirit, acrylic on canvas, 12×12
midnight moon, acrylic on canvas, 12×12
If you’re near the Sacramento area, you can see these and the other works in the Small Gems show at Elliott Fouts Gallery now through the end of December. Or just click over to their website to see them all online!
Art & Light, my representing gallery in Greenville, SC, is celebrating 12 years this week!! In celebration, I created two new paintings from my LEMOLO series for their Anniversary Show, opening tonight, August 16th.
dreams and intentions, acrylic on canvas, 20x20x1.5, $350
whispering secrets, acrylic on canvas, 20x20x1.5, $350
When creating these new LEMOLO pieces, I was thinking about the lovely days I’ve spent in North and South Carolina, places that will always hold a special place in my heart, Southern girl that I am. I also tried to channel the warmth of the light and atmosphere that is present at Art & Light— housed in a beautiful old house in Greenville’s historic “Village”, the gallery is fresh and modern while also feeling rustic and worn and welcoming. An absolutely enchanting combination!
In addition to the new LEMOLO paintings, there is also a brand new crop of watercolors on panel and canvas that I’m super excited to debut at A&L!
You can check out the entire collection of watercolors on my website or if you’re in the Greenville area, I hope you’ll stop by Art & Light for the opening of the Anniversary show tonight from 6- 8pm!
Art & Light is located at 16 Aiken St, Greenville, SC. You can contact the gallery by calling 864-625-0695 or emailing art@artandlightgallery.com!
You guys, I’m sorry. I’ve been so neglectful of this space lately! I won’t pepper you with excuses.. we are all busy, right? Keeping up with blogging just keeps getting pushed down the ol’ To-Do list as things come up.
The things coming up have all been good, though! And I miss sharing more in depth here. So I’m going to try more, truly I am.
You may remember that ever since experimenting with watercolor for The 100 Day Project back in 2016, I’ve been trying out bigger sizes and different substrates. I hadn’t quite hit on that perfect combo.. until now!
rhodies, watercolor on canvas, 30×30, $750
When I heard the lovely folks at Lindsey Runyon Design wanted me to be a Featured Artist in their showroom, specifically requesting watercolors, I saw it as my opportunity to go big in watercolor. But due to the hanging limitations of their space, and that I would be installing on my own, I needed to go big AND light. I’ve done some experimenting with watercolor on canvas in the past, but hadn’t quite gotten the hang of it.. Until now!
clemantis, watercolor on canvas, 30×48, $1200
A few coats of watercolor ground added to gessoed canvas creates the perfect surface for watercolors– the paint blends and bleeds beautifully (and easily, requiring a delicate touch!). Once dry, the paintings are sealed first with multiple coats of fixative and then with two coats of UV spray varnish to make sure the surface becomes permanent and impermeable. No glass needed!
watercolors on canvas showing at Lindsey Runyon Design
You can check out all of these new watercolors on canvas online on my website . If you are in the Seattle area anytime now through November 16th, you can stop by LRD in downtown Seattle (near the Space Needle!) to see these beauties in person.
Lindsey Runyon Design is located at 222 Queen Anne Ave N, Ground Floor, Seattle, WA 98109.
Their phone # is 206-914-5241 or you can email chloe@lindseyrunyondesign.com for info and directions.
If you make it to see the paintings, snap a photo and tag @lesleyfrenz on Instagram! And if you’d like more information about these or any of my available work, please email via my website Contact form.
Excited to be showing in my hometown! A group of new paintings from my VENTERS, ECHOES, and IMMERSIONS series are now on view in The Haskell Gallery at the Jacksonville International Airport.
The paintings are part of the Spring in Northeast Florida show alongside works by artists Lyn Asselta, Eve Albrecht, and photographer John E. Adams.
Silent Reverie, acrylic on canvas, 60×48
Sweet Madness, acrylic on canvas, 48×48
From the Highest Swing, From the Highest Tree, From the Highest Wing, acrylic on canvas, 24×20 each
While the initial inspiration for these paintings were the theme of Spring in Northeast Florida, it was the springtimes of my childhood there and memories of my mom that informed each piece. During the painting process, I would often look back on old home movies from my childhood, allowing the muted colors and blown out style to inform the palette and overall feel of these pieces.
my brother, my mom, and me, easter 1976 and Weightless and Maybe, acrylic on canvas, 12×12
I plan to share more of the stories and inspiration behind these works with you over the coming weeks, so please stay tuned!
Meanwhile, if you’re in the Jacksonville area, I hope you’ll visit JIA to see these new paintings. The Haskell Gallery is located pre-security, so you don’t need to be traveling to see the show!
You can also see all of the work in the show on my website.
Hello friends! Popping in to tell you about a new show featuring my work, opening today! A Winter Exhibit, a three person show featuring work by Seattle area artists Mya Kerner, Najia Omer, and moi, opens today at the Mercer Island Community & Event Center gallery.
The show features work from my ECHOES series, including 4 new paintings created just for this show. If you’re not local to the Seattle area, you can see the work from this series, including the new paintings on the ECHOES page of my website.
There will be an artist’s reception this Thursday, January 11th from 6:30pm to 8pm. Unfortunately, since we’re currently in Spokane for hubby’s work contract, I won’t be able to attend (I’m so bummed!!). But if you’d like to see the show, please do go and meet the other 2 wonderful artists!
The gallery is located at 8236 SE 24th St, Mercer Island, WA. Gallery hours are M-F 7am-9pm, Sat 8am-9pm, and Sun 11am-5pm. The show will be up through February 23rd.
