About the Artist —
What Would You Like to Know?

• Who I am and how I got here — About the Artist
• What have I done lately — Recent events
• Online Radio Interview — Fall, 2015
• Where you can see my work — Galleries
• Why I do this — Artist Statement
• How far I've come — Resume

About the Artist

Lea was born in Louisiana, and spent her early childhood moving from state to state until settling in New Jersey in third grade. Then at the age of 48, she painted a tropical beach scene mural in her garage! The success of this venture inspired Lea to get some serious art instruction at Mercer County Community College and ArtWorks. A few years later, she studied a more impressionistic technique under Susan Sarback, based on the technique taught at the Cape Cod School of Art.

Lea enjoys painting flowers, seascapes, and landscapes, and works both from photographic references and en plein air. She also paints portraits (of children and of pets!) on commission, working from photographs using a method similar to grisaille (but not quite the same).

Lea made her first sale in 2005, and had her first solo show in 2007. She has been juried into many local and national shows, including the Ellarslie Open, the Artists of Yardley, and the Mercer County Artists shows locally, and the Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional (2014), and 6th Biennial National Art Exhibition in Punta Gorda, Florida. Her work has also been accepted in online shows, including the Contemporary Art Gallery Online, the American Juried Art Salon, and 21st Century Art. Until the gallery closed, she was represented by the Farnsworth Gallery in Bordentown, and is a member of ArtsBridge and TAWA, and an associate member of the Oil Painters of America.

Recent Events

I did a painting demonstration at the Spring Lake Sidewalk Sale, in front of the Design Domaine Gallery on August 18, 2018. (To see the finished painting, just click on the image to the right.) The gallery owners were handing out the following information to anyone who stopped by:

"This local New Jersey talent began painting later in life, and yet to notable acclaim! The highly prestigious Oil Painters of America has already selected one of her works to be juried into one of their extremely selective competitions both nationally and regionally! Novak's use of impasto, texture, light and subtle coloration all enhance her depictions of the beloved New Jersey subjects that she prefers to depict in her work. Novak is inspired by her and her husband's love of both the Jersey shore and the flowers in her garden, as well as those found in their travels. Her marine paintings notably capture the freshness of a day at the shore, with its unique wave and cloud formations, and variation in the motion and coloration of the sea on any given day; her interpretation remains true to lovers of the sea. When not at easel, Novak also designs jewelry and paints murals."

Thanks Marilyn and Larry for the kind words, and for the opportunity to demonstrate my technique and chat with the art lovers passing by!

My painting, Hat With Flowers, was featured on the cover of the April/May issue of The Connection Magazine, Bernards - Ridge Edition.

Two of my paintings received awards at the 2017 Mercer County Artists Exhibit: Floating Feather won a Purchase Award, and will be hung in the Mercer County Administrative Building Gallery (or one of the administrative buildings), and Pennsylvania Hills won an Honorable Mention.

My work was recently reviewed as a part of the NJ Audubon Society's Annual Juried Exhibit, "Wild New Jersey." You can find this review in The Times, Friday, April 15, 2016. The article was titled "Exhibit shines spotlight on Jersey's natural beauty" by Janet Purcell, and included the following comment on my artwork:

"Second place was given to Lea Novak for her horizontal oil painting, "Standing by the Ocean's Door" in which a lone gull stands in the incoming surf contemplating the wide expanse of waves coming in. Novak's "Someone to Watch Over Me," in which one gull stands on the beach behind another who is resting, could also have been a winner." 

Thank you Ms. Purcell!

Highlighted recent exhibits include:

• Mercer County Artists 2017 Juried Exhibit: Floating Feather, Pennsylvania Hills
• Philadelphia Sketch Club, Art of the Flower Juried Exhibit: African Violets
• NJ Audubon Society Annual Juried Show - 2016: Standing by the Ocean's Door, 2nd Prize; Someone to Watch Over Me
• Artists of Yardley Juried Show - 2016: Pink Gladioli
• Mercer County Artists 2015 Juried Exhibit: Windflowers
• Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional 2014: Lilies in Sun and Shadow
• Contemporary Art Gallery Online, Seascape/Water Theme, July 2014: Barnegat Bay at Sunset, 5th Place
• Hamilton Public Library: I have several works on semi-permanent loan to the Hamilton Public Library.

Online Radio Interview

When my painting, Barnegat Bay at Sunset, placed 5th in the Contemporary Art Gallery Online's July show, it garnered an online radio interview on BlogTalkRadio. You can listen to the interview, and hear me talk about art by going to Blogtalkradio.com (click the Internet Radio link under the box below) and searching for An Artist Speaks. Look for Season 3, Episode 16.

Galleries

• Design Domaine Gallery, Spring Lake, NJ
• Hamilton Township Public Library, Hamilton, NJ

"The true and the beautiful belong together, for God is the source of beauty and also the source of truth. Art, which is dedicated to the beautiful, is therefore a special path to the whole and to God. What cannot be said in words or expressed in thought is brought to light in art. ... Art is not an end in itself. It should uplift people, move them, improve them, and ultimately lead them to worship and thank God. (YOUCAT questions 460-461)

I like to paint things that people will recognize, so I use a realistic but slightly impressionistic style. I struggle to simplify, to not include every detail I see, but keep my focus on the primary reason for painting the subject. Details can so often distract from the focus of the painting. Often, I don’t know if a painting is going well until I leave it and come back.

When I paint, I lose track of time. I’m living in the moment, focused on what I’m seeing and how to get that down with paint on canvas. I love the colors, and the feel of the paint. I like the way the paint goes onto the canvas, and how forgiving it is. The painting process offers constant challenge, fueled by the reward of accomplishment when it all comes together. It’s always a pleasant surprise when I can walk into the studio, look at what's on the easel, and think, “Wow! Did I do that?!”

Resume