Lesley Frenz is an artist working in acrylics and watercolors. Born and raised in coastal North Florida, she received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Florida where she studied Art History and Studio Arts. After working in several creative industries, Frenz left Florida in 2011 to travel the West and Northwest with her husband. While traveling, she wrote a successful art blog and began freelance work on behalf of galleries and artists, but never stopped painting. Years of travel and living among such incredible beauty spilled out in January 2013 as she pursued a serious studio practice while continuing to travel. An avid hiker and backpacker, Frenz finds inspiration in wild places and her studio practice is centered around the exploration of the intersectionality between the spiritual and earthbound in the form of abstracted landscape paintings.

Frenz began exhibiting work in 2015, followed soon by her first solo exhibition in 2016, she is represented by J. Rinehart Gallery in Seattle, WA.

 Frenz and her husband have found home in Mount Vernon, Washington, a small town nestled in the Skagit Valley between the North Cascade mountains and the Salish Sea.

What does your perfect Saturday look like?

Answer: My husband and I wake up early, before the sun rises, grabbing mugs of coffee and hit the road, heading up into the North Cascade mountains. We score a campsite on Baker Lake, pitch our tent, then head out for a hike. We arrive to an empty trailhead and hike through the forest canopy, as the rising sun creates sparkles on the still dewy leaves. We reach a clear alpine lake just in time for lunch, and I get some sketching in while my husband fishes. We hike back out, stopping for huckleberry ice cream on the way to the campground. I get in some watercolor painting while my hubby naps in the tent. Later, we grill up some fresh fish and open a bottle of our favorite wine. We’ll go for a walk later and then read by the campfire before drifting to sleep under the stars.

What is your dream project?

Answer: My dream project would be an artist residency followed by a large, site specific installation within or in conjunction with a major national park.

Are you a traveler or a homebody?

Answer: I am a homebody who loves to travel. When I am home, I am fully there and love creating a beautiful, unique place to enjoy. But I am also constantly looking to and planning the next adventure!

What music do you put on when you want to get motivated?

Answer: Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of 90s Seattle grunge in the studio-- Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, etc. It is the perfect music to get lost in while painting my interpretations of the wild Pacific Northwest mountains.

Website: https://lesleyfrenz.com