Lee J. Nixon

Actual textures can be felt when touched. Some artists create actual textures with sponges, paintbrushes, or palette knives. Others may create textures by adding actual textures such as sand, rice paper and other materials that have textures of their own. I enjoy painting textural landscape paintings with the usage of actual textures. I was amazed at one of my gallery showing in which numerous visitors touched the actual bark and rocky texture found in several paintings that were similar to ‘PEACE IN THE VALLEY’ on exhibition at Artists Search. I have used a variety of material to create textures for my Impressionist Landscape paintings. Sometimes I cover the entire canvas with rice paper and then apply washes that bleed and run into all the nicks and crevices. To apply the rice paper and other material, a medium is used twice. For example, gloss or matte medium is first applied to the canvas, and then add the rice paper and other materials, followed with an additional coat of medium. This creates a spontaneous approach due to the various washes. So, have you ever tried using actual textures imaginatively for visual interest? At other times, I will apply rice or tissue paper in select areas, such as individual trees, or rocks, again see Nixon’s’ PEACE IN The VALLEY’. Recently I have experimented with fine crushed gravel found in the driveway. Thin washes will bleed around the areas of fine g ravel creating an interesting contrasting dark and light pattern.

Lee Nixon, Jr., “Peace of the Day.”The Arts Center in Orange presents a satellite exhibition of Lee Nixon, Jr.’s paintings at the Virginia National Bank on Main St. in Orange. 540-672-7311.

Nixon's Impressionist paintings reflect a need, care, and reverence for a serene earth, and the desire to share it with the viewer through color, pattern, and texture.

March 2010 Exhibit
February 15, 2010 by Virginia Artists In Action

Painter Lee Nixon and Photographer Candace Schoner will have their work on display at Art Upstairs at 112 W. Main Street in Charlottesville, Virginia throughout the month of March. The gallery will host an Art Reception featuring the Virginia Artists In Action members on Friday, March 5th along with local artists Robert Lazo and Ben Feigert. The reception will be held from 5:00pm – 9:00pm and is open to the public. Art Upstairs is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12:00PM – 5:00PM and Sundays 1:00PM – 4:00PM.

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Lee J. Nixon, “A Trilogy of Happiness.”La Galeria, in association with Virginia Artists in Action, presents an exhibition of paintings by Lee. J. Nixon. In addition, the gallery displays an “All Members Show.” A First Friday opening is scheduled for December 4, 5-8pm. 218 W. Market St. 293-7003.

Lee Nixon is an artist who teaches. If you attended Orange County High School,
chances are good that Lee Nixon was your art teacher. A native of Orange County,
Lee J. Nixon received his Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education from Virginia State University in 1975. He taught at Daniel Morgan Middle School in Winchester, Virginia for five years. While there, he served on a committee for the annual Fine Arts Festival that involved all of the area schools. In 1980, Lee returned to Orange, to teach at Orange County High School where he initiated an annual Arts and Science Festival, which continued until recently. His own work, which includes painting and creating textural surfaces, has been exhibited numerous galleries including the Science Museum of Virginia, Upstairs Gallery, and the Orange Arts Center. The Artist: Nixon works primarily in acrylics for their versatility and compatibility with other media. His Impressionist paintings reflect a need, care, and reverence for a serene earth, and the desire to share it with the viewer through color, pattern, and texture. The finished work is the culmination of several underpaintings, overpaintings, numerous glazes and other refinements until the work is completed. .

I have a fascination with colors, patterns, and textures. Colors are utilized to establish a mood, symbolize feelings, and convey ideas. Likewise, textural surfaces are employed to form patterns that will enhance the aesthetical experience of the viewer.

I work primarily in acrylics for their versatility as they can be thinned with water and mediums for transparencies as well as applied in an impasto style for textural surfaces. Sometimes tissue paper is utilized to simulate sculptural effects. The finished work is the culmination of several underpaintings, overpaintings, numerous glazes,and refinements until the work is completed.

My goal is to artistically capture the endless variety of harmonious designs that exist all around us, and to fuse pattern with emotion.

Actual textures can be felt when touched. Some artists create actual textures with sponges, paintbrushes, or palette knives. Others may create textures by adding actual textures such as sand, rice paper and other materials that have textures of their own. I enjoy painting textural landscape paintings with the usage of actual textures. I was amazed at one of my gallery showing in which numerous visitors touched the actual bark and rocky texture found in several paintings that were similar to ‘PEACE IN THE VALLEY’ on exhibition at Artists Search.

I have used a variety of material to create textures for my Impressionist Landscape paintings. Sometimes I cover the entire canvas with rice paper and then apply washes that bleed and run into all the nicks and crevices. To apply the rice paper and other material, a medium is used twice. For example, gloss or matte medium is first applied to the canvas, and then add the rice paper and other materials, followed with an additional coat of medium. This creates a spontaneous approach due to the various washes. So, have you ever tried using actual textures imaginatively for visual interest?

At other times, I will apply rice or tissue paper in select areas, such as individual trees, or rocks, again see Nixon’s’ PEACE IN The VALLEY’. Recently I have experimented with fine crushed gravel found in the driveway. Thin washes will bleed around the areas of fine g ravel creating an interesting contrasting dark and light pattern.