Heidi Herrera
Cataloguer
Lot 2
JON LEAFSTEDT(B. 1962)New Beginnings, 2018
Ending from 2 May 2025, 12:00 PDT
Online, Los AngelesUS$3,000 - US$5,000
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Sharon Squires
Head of Department, Post-War & Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Bids (US)
JON LEAFSTEDT (B. 1962)
New Beginnings, 2018
signed 'Leaf' (lower right); signed again, titled and dated '"New Beginnings" 2018 Jon Leafstedt' (on the reverse)
acrylic on canvas
36 x 24 in.
91.4 x 61 cm.
signed 'Leaf' (lower right); signed again, titled and dated '"New Beginnings" 2018 Jon Leafstedt' (on the reverse)
acrylic on canvas
36 x 24 in.
91.4 x 61 cm.
Footnotes
Provenance
Courtesy of the artist
"As a gay kid from Iowa, I understood at an early age what it meant to live outside of the conventional midwestern cultural norms of the 1970's as defined by both my parents and peers. It has taken a lifetime to try to unlearn the whispers of the narrow-minded from my small town where there was no place to hide. Often feeling very alone, it would have been incredibly helpful and encouraging if I had known and socialized with others "more like me." Every child deserves access to a diverse community, so they can seek out and find kindred folks..."just like them" and learn from others unlike themselves in a nonjudgmental and loving environment." -Jon Leafstedt
Artist Statement: I started painting with my mother at around 7 years-of-age as a creative, mom-son pastime after school and before dad got home from work... then it was cocktail time! While my parents sipped away on Rob-Roys and caught up on their active day, I threw down my kiddie-cocktail, smoked a breadstick, and continued to paint and never stopped, until university, where I was encouraged to get a business degree and pursue a career in retail, like my Swedish paternal grandfather before me. As a business student, I focused all of my elective credits on art courses, so I was able to tap an academic schedule that explored all things creative and commerce. I spent the next 30 years leading retail organizations, including, Esprit de Corp, NIKE, Williams-Sonoma, and Scandinavian Design—finding time on many weekends to pursue my first love...painting.
Today, on my small hillside acreage in Sonoma, I've finally transitioned an old barn to a creative studio for all sorts of inspirational endeavors and now find myself on most days exploring new painting techniques.