Lesley Anne Spowart
Abstract Expressionist
Lives and works in Monterey, CA
Lesley Anne Spowart
Lesley Anne Spowart is an abstract multimedia artist originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, now based on the Monterey Peninsula. She earned her B.A. in Art History from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and pursued graduate studies in Art History, Museum Studies, and Exhibition Design at UC Davis, UC Riverside, and Cal State Fullerton. Spowart’s work is grounded in material exploration and process. She combines beeswax, tar, photographic transfers, acrylics, and mixed media, using techniques such as sanding, scraping, and mark-making to create textured surfaces that shift between opacity and transparency. Her paintings balance structure with intuition, with color serving as both a formal and expressive element. Often described as joyful and uplifting, her abstractions carry a playful, heart-opening quality that reflects her instinctive approach to color and form.
She has exhibited in solo and group shows across the Monterey Peninsula and beyond, including Gallery Mar, American Art Gallery, the Marjorie Evans Gallery in Carmel, and 7811 Gallery in Los Angeles. Her paintings are held in corporate and private collections in the United States and abroad. She continues her practice in Monterey, working from a converted wine cellar studio that underscores her close engagement with materials and surface.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
- Creature Comforts - Pacific Grove, Art Center
- The Color of Energy, Marjorie Evans Gallery, Carmel, CA, 2019
- What I meant to say, Never on Sunday, Monterey, CA, 2007
- Vessels, PK Fine Artifacts, Sand City, CA, 2006
- Sleight of Hand, Satsoontsi Gallery, Salinas, CA, 2005
- “(to have a happy childhood) it’s never too late”, Lisa Coscino Gallery, Pacific Grove, CA, 2005
- Limitless Landscapes, Arthouse, Pacific Grove, CA, 2002
- CHINA-A Printmakers Photographic Essay, Pacific Grove Art Center, Pacific Grove, CA 2001
- New Monoprints, The Grove Homescapes, Pacific Grove, CA, 1999
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
- Toward Abstraction, The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Carmel, CA 2023
- Plus One (+One) San Jose City College Arts, San Jose, CA 2023
- Re-Emergence (MPAF Members) Pacific Grove Art Center, Pacific Grove, CA 2022
- Creative Women 3, Gallery Mar, Carmel, CA 2022
- Art in the Time of Corona, New Museum, Los Gatos, CA 2021
- Creative Women, Gallery Mar, Carmel, CA 2020
- You Can’t Quarantine Creativity, Marjorie Evans Gallery, Carmel, CA 2020
- 33rd September Competition, Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA, 2020
- Miniatures, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA, 2019
- Transformation-Envisioning Change, Pajaro Valley Arts Council, Watsonville, CA, 2015
- Healthy Monterey County, Arts Council for Monterey County, 2010
- Le salon d’etudiant, Monterey Peninsula College Art Gallery, Monterey, CA, 2008
- Lauryn Taylor Fine Art, Carmel, CA, 2007
- Upstream People Gallery, Omaha, NE, 2005
- Fusion, Form, Function, Union Street Gallery, Chicago Heights, IL, 2004
- “Exposing injustice and Revealing Beauty”, Maryland Federation of Art, Baltimore, MD, 2004
- 17th Annual Exhibit of Women’s Work, Northwest Area Arts Council, Crystal Lake, IL, 2004
- Small packages: Food for Thought, Lisa Coscino Gallery, Pacific Grove, CA, 2004
- December small Works, Limner Gallery, New York, NY 2003
- Santa Cruz Art League’s Annual Statewide Exhibit, Santa Cruz, CA, 2003
- The Art of Wellness, 15th Annual Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System, Salinas, CA 2003
- Art-Connection/Connection-Art, 11 East Ashland Gallery, Phoenix, AZ 2003
- Close to Home, Pacific Grove Art Center, Pacific Grove, CA 2003
- Spring Forward, Fall Back, Gallery Mia Tyson, Wilmington, NC, 2003
- Substratum, Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Carmel, CA, 2003
- 17th Anniversary Open Invitational, 11 East Ashland Gallery, Phoenix, AZ, 2003
- Mute, Cade Fine Arts Center Gallery, Arnold, MD, 2003
- Spring Salon, Limner Gallery, New York, NY 2002
- Bold Expressions, Northern California Arts, Inc., Sacramento, CA, 2002
- “Feeding Ourselves, Feeding Others: Women and Food”, Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Carmel, CA 2001
- Metal Morphosis, Monterey Peninsula College Art Gallery, Monterey, CA 1998
CORPORATE COLLECTIONS
- Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP)
- Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF)
- Cypress Coast Cardiac Surgeons (CCCS)
- Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital (SVMH)
- Stahl Motor Company
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Emily Hull Parsons, "Artists in the loop", Greet HWY 68 Loop Magazine, January 8th, 2026
- Dennis Taylor, “Her instincts inform her artwork”, Carmel Pinecone, November 7, 2019
- Michael Chatfield,”Ones to Watch”, Homestyle by the sea Magazine, winter 2007
- Lisa Crawford Watson, Monterey County Herald Go!, “Vessel for Art”, March 23, 2006
- Lisa Crawford Watson, “Sleight of Hand”, Monterey County Herald Go!, May, 2005
- Tom Leyde, “She’s an artist of all trades”, Salinas Californian, May 2005
- “Sasoontsi Gallery Exhibits L.A.Spowart”, Monterey Bay Wine and Travel, Spring 2005
- Lisa Crawford Watson, Layers of Meaning, Monterey County Weekly, April, 2003
- “Tiananmen Square”, Lesley Anne Spowart’s monoprint on paper”, The Baltimore Sun, March 2003
- Rick Deragon, “Rooms with a View”, Monterey County Weekly, September 2002
- Lisa Crawford Watson, “Limitless Landscapes”, Monterey County Herald Go! March 2002
- Kathryn McKenzie Nichols, Monterey County Herald, “Artists work conveys impressions, emotions of visit to China” May 2001
- “Printmaking Explored at the Carl Cherry Center”, The Carmel Pinecone, 1999
AWARDS/HONORS
- 1st & 2nd Place Mixed Media, Monterey County Fair, Monterey, CA 2017
- Voted Best Local Artist Monterey County, Monterey County Weekly 2010
- 1st Place, November Art Competitive, Avery Gallery, Seaside, CA 2005
- 1st Place, Seaside Art Competitive, Seaside, CA 2001
- 1st Place, Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Carmel, CA 2001
- Honorable Mention, Seaside Art Competitive, Seaside, CA 2000
- 2nd Place, Marjorie Evans Gallery, Carmel, CA 2000
- Honorable Mention, Seaside Art Competitive, Seaside, CA 1999
EDUCATION
- Art &Creativity for Healing Certification, Chapman University, Laguna Niguel, CA, 2010
- Museum Studies/Exhibition Design, California State Fullerton, Fullerton, CA, 1982
- Art History, U.C. Davis & U.C. Riverside, 1981
- BA Art History, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1979SOLO
- EXHIBITIONS
- Creature Comforts - Pacific Grove, Art Center
- The Color of Energy, Marjorie Evans Gallery, Carmel, CA, 2019
- What I meant to say, Never on Sunday, Monterey, CA, 2007
- Vessels, PK Fine Artifacts, Sand City, CA, 2006
- Sleight of Hand, Satsoontsi Gallery, Salinas, CA, 2005
- “(to have a happy childhood) it’s never too late”, Lisa Coscino Gallery, Pacific Grove, CA, 2005
- Limitless Landscapes, Arthouse, Pacific Grove, CA, 2002
- CHINA-A Printmakers Photographic Essay, Pacific Grove Art Center, Pacific Grove, CA 2001
- New Monoprints, The Grove Homescapes, Pacific Grove, CA, 1999
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
- Toward Abstraction, The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Carmel, CA 2023
- Plus One (+One) San Jose City College Arts, San Jose, CA 2023
- Re-Emergence (MPAF Members) Pacific Grove Art Center, Pacific Grove, CA 2022
- Creative Women 3, Gallery Mar, Carmel, CA 2022
- Art in the Time of Corona, New Museum, Los Gatos, CA 2021
- Creative Women, Gallery Mar, Carmel, CA 2020
- You Can’t Quarantine Creativity, Marjorie Evans Gallery, Carmel, CA 2020
- 33rd September Competition, Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA, 2020
- Miniatures, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA, 2019
- Transformation-Envisioning Change, Pajaro Valley Arts Council, Watsonville, CA, 2015
- Healthy Monterey County, Arts Council for Monterey County, 2010
- Le salon d’etudiant, Monterey Peninsula College Art Gallery, Monterey, CA, 2008
- Lauryn Taylor Fine Art, Carmel, CA, 2007
- Upstream People Gallery, Omaha, NE, 2005
- Fusion, Form, Function, Union Street Gallery, Chicago Heights, IL, 2004
- “Exposing injustice and Revealing Beauty”, Maryland Federation of Art, Baltimore, MD, 2004
- 17th Annual Exhibit of Women’s Work, Northwest Area Arts Council, Crystal Lake, IL, 2004
- Small packages: Food for Thought, Lisa Coscino Gallery, Pacific Grove, CA, 2004
- December small Works, Limner Gallery, New York, NY 2003
- Santa Cruz Art League’s Annual Statewide Exhibit, Santa Cruz, CA, 2003
- The Art of Wellness, 15th Annual Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System, Salinas, CA 2003
- Art-Connection/Connection-Art, 11 East Ashland Gallery, Phoenix, AZ 2003
- Close to Home, Pacific Grove Art Center, Pacific Grove, CA 2003
- Spring Forward, Fall Back, Gallery Mia Tyson, Wilmington, NC, 2003
- Substratum, Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Carmel, CA, 2003
- 17th Anniversary Open Invitational, 11 East Ashland Gallery, Phoenix, AZ, 2003
- Mute, Cade Fine Arts Center Gallery, Arnold, MD, 2003
- Spring Salon, Limner Gallery, New York, NY 2002
- Bold Expressions, Northern California Arts, Inc., Sacramento, CA, 2002
- “Feeding Ourselves, Feeding Others: Women and Food”, Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Carmel, CA 2001
- Metal Morphosis, Monterey Peninsula College Art Gallery, Monterey, CA 1998
CORPORATE COLLECTIONS
- Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP)
- Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF)
- Cypress Coast Cardiac Surgeons (CCCS)
- Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital (SVMH)
- Stahl Motor Company
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Emily Hull Parsons, "Artists in the loop", Greet HWY 68 Loop Magazine, January 8th, 2026
- Dennis Taylor, “Her instincts inform her artwork”, Carmel Pinecone, November 7, 2019
- Michael Chatfield,”Ones to Watch”, Homestyle by the sea Magazine, winter 2007
- Lisa Crawford Watson, Monterey County Herald Go!, “Vessel for Art”, March 23, 2006
- Lisa Crawford Watson, “Sleight of Hand”, Monterey County Herald Go!, May, 2005
- Tom Leyde, “She’s an artist of all trades”, Salinas Californian, May 2005
- “Sasoontsi Gallery Exhibits L.A.Spowart”, Monterey Bay Wine and Travel, Spring 2005
- Lisa Crawford Watson, Layers of Meaning, Monterey County Weekly, April, 2003
- “Tiananmen Square”, Lesley Anne Spowart’s monoprint on paper”, The Baltimore Sun, March 2003
- Rick Deragon, “Rooms with a View”, Monterey County Weekly, September 2002
- Lisa Crawford Watson, “Limitless Landscapes”, Monterey County Herald Go! March 2002
- Kathryn McKenzie Nichols, Monterey County Herald, “Artists work conveys impressions, emotions of visit to China” May 2001
- “Printmaking Explored at the Carl Cherry Center”, The Carmel Pinecone, 1999
AWARDS/HONORS
- 1st & 2nd Place Mixed Media, Monterey County Fair, Monterey, CA 2017
- Voted Best Local Artist Monterey County, Monterey County Weekly 2010
- 1st Place, November Art Competitive, Avery Gallery, Seaside, CA 2005
- 1st Place, Seaside Art Competitive, Seaside, CA 2001
- 1st Place, Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Carmel, CA 2001
- Honorable Mention, Seaside Art Competitive, Seaside, CA 2000
- 2nd Place, Marjorie Evans Gallery, Carmel, CA 2000
- Honorable Mention, Seaside Art Competitive, Seaside, CA 1999
EDUCATION
- Art &Creativity for Healing Certification, Chapman University, Laguna Niguel, CA, 2010
- Museum Studies/Exhibition Design, California State Fullerton, Fullerton, CA, 1982
- Art History, U.C. Davis & U.C. Riverside, 1981
- BA Art History, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1979
“ I love color, abstraction, impressionism, and expressionism, and I prefer working on paper or board for the resistance it gives back. Using sanding, scraping, mark making, and mixed media like xerography and acrylic, I create art that genuinely reflects my life story and connects me to my audience. ”
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Lesley Anne Spowart
37"x25"Regular price $7,000Regular price -
Lesley Anne Spowart
23.5" x 23.5"Regular price $3,200Regular price -
Lesley Anne Spowart
26" x 16"Regular price $3,500Regular price -
Lesley Anne Spowart
25" x 24"Regular price $4,000Regular price
“ I love color, abstraction, impressionism, and expressionism, and I prefer working on paper or board for the resistance it gives back. Using sanding, scraping, mark making, and mixed media like xerography and acrylic, I create art that genuinely reflects my life story and connects me to my audience. ”
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