Lesli Devito is a friend that I met in January at Desin Bloggers Conference in LA.  We had a great few days together and have a mutual love for animals.  I immediatly fell in love with her dog portraits.  I was lucky enough to have won a custom pet portrait in a giveaway this Spring.  She perfectly captured Waffles'( my rescue) eyes and face. Follow Lesli’s blog, My Old Country House to see her renovation of her farmhouse outside Charlottesville.  She has been featured in House Beautiful with her design. I hope you enjoy my artist spotlight series featuring Lesli.

Waffles

Lesli Devito

Charlottesville, Virginia

What is your training?

I have no formal art training. I am self taught. Lots of doodling.

What inspires you and your art?

Color. And the way colors look next to each other. I can get excited looking at pink next to green. The colors that surround me where I live  really fuel a lot of my art…and the animals…always the animals…and babies.

Charlie

Muffin

What is your favorite installation of your work or piece?

I have so many I LOVE but I have to say…my LILLY paintings make me so happy. And the silhouettes I did of my children when they were younger.  My Barns…

How has the south influenced your work?

Living where I live, in the south and in the country… has connected me to a more organic side of myself…I don’t mean like Organic food, but like the core of me….who I am without any of life’s trappings…just me.  It has freed me from my Big City Girl self and brought me to who I have always been…which is an ARTIST. I would never have thought things would work out the way they have…that I would have my greatest creative success…in the Country…but life is full of surprises now isn’t it?

What is your favorite restaurant in Charlottesville?

BIZOU

What is your favorite cocktail?

A Gin Mojito

How do you balance personal life and work?

Not very well, but I am learning. Everything is so connected…my house…the blog..my paintings…I TRY to put away the easel and the laptop at 6pm, but the kids schedules are insane and I often have to grab time when it presents itself….. sometimes I just have to keep painting and my husband gets dinner. It is why I like to paint at home in my dining room…this way I am in the midst of all the activity.

Dream trip?

Greece or Paris with my Daughter

Dream commission?

via

I would love to do a painting for the Novogratz family .

Your favorite hostess gift?

Usually a painting if I have my act together…

Who is your style icon?

Jonathan Adler and

Katie Ridder

Your favorite up and coming artist?

I don’t know if he is Up and Coming, but I love an artist named Robert Joyner…from Richmond who does these very abstract animals… among other wonderful things

via

What is your most treasured possession?

My photo albums of the kids when they were babies….

What are you reading?

“When God was a Rabbit”

What are you listening to?

Soundtrack to “The Great Gatsby”

Favorite Design Blog?

Again, I LOVE SO MANY…but if I have to choose, right now I love Little Green Notebook because she lives my fantasy life, fixing up a Brooklyn Apartment, hunting down things in the city. But I also adore House of Turquoise for the eye candy….