Meet the Artist: Jed Leber

Interview with Watercolor Painter Jed Leber

COLORX3 on view at the Prairie Art Alliance Gallery until Thursday August 14th.

"Reverberate"

Do you work from models, images, imagination, or a combination of all three?

All three.  They never come out anywhere close to the source image; I figure that is what photography is for.  I alter the image to better convey the emotion.

Do you sketch your paintings beforehand?

99% of the time. 

These images convey a variety of emotions. Do these tones originate with the subject or are you imposing them on your subjects?

I select images (either the sketch or photograph) because there is a look or a feeling that stirs an emotion in me.

"Dischord"

“Dischord” seems to be different from the others in that there is pigment on most of the canvas.  Can you talk about how you approached this piece differently than the others?

I approached the same way but I was not happy with the results, so I washed the image off the canvas with a grout sponge and a bucket of water.  I stopped halfway through because I liked the result. 

That painting has created a seed for a tangent that I will be exploring further.

You have stated that you challenged yourself with this series to create images with as little pigment as possible.  Where did the inspiration for this challenge start?  Do you think you can take this challenge further?

"Echos"

It was just an idea that popped into my head last winter.  Yes, I can take it further.  This series prompted a ton of tangents that I hope to explore.

Because of the scale of the canvases, the exhibit truly surrounds the viewer.  Why did you choose to use 4 x 5 foot canvases?

These canvases are pre-stretched and pre-gessoed.  I find the factory gesso is very compatible with the way that I paint.  These are the biggest canvases that the factory made.  I would have gone bigger if they made them bigger.

 What is next for you as an artist?

More painting.

Follow our blog for to meet the other artist features in COLORX3 on view until August 14.