Article Contributed on: 11/11/2005 3:55:39 PM
One Roxborough resident who flunked a watercolor course in college says the art form is now her main thirst.
Maryann Leake Baisley, 50, has lived in Roxborough for 20 years and said she has crafted hundreds of paintings throughout her life with watercolors, watercolor pencils and acrylic, has exhibited her artwork in Colorado, California, Washington, D.C., Arizona and Puerto Rico, and currently has pieces on display at the Lone Tree Art Exhibition, which runs through Nov. 26.
Leake said she admired and took inspiration from American contemporary realist Andrew Wyeth, who she calls the epitome of American watercolor artists - so much so that she failed her college watercolor course.
“During my first watercolor class, I was so enamored with Andrew Wyeth that I was really copying his style in college,” Leake said. “They flunked me on that point. Now, I truly respect their decision and realize what they were getting at. It really helped me to hone my skill in watercolor.”
Leake’s personal take on art is this:
“If you tell a story and tell something about yourself in your story, then you give the audience what they need,” Leake said. “But you also have to leave some mystery in your painting.”
Leake said she suffered from epilepsy as a child and had a rather difficult time in school, due to the medication slowing her down. She said her parents never told anyone about her epilepsy.
When Leake was 10 years old, she said, her parents enrolled her in art classes apart from public schools. She said her art teachers were very understanding and supportive.
“Art was where I took sanctuary,” Leake said. “That was thrilling, to say the least, for my parents to recognize my talent at that age.”
Leake said she now takes inspiration from her surroundings as a child - the creek and forest landscapes of her hometown of Wilmington, Del.
“Most of it comes from my childhood,” Leake said. “I think I show in my artwork what happened throughout my childhood.”
Leake said she pays homage to her grandfather, Edwin Leake, and her father, George Leake, who encouraged her to paint, by painting under their name.
Leake also has a signature membership with the Colorado Watercolor Society (CWS).
“It’s very prestigious to put those initials (CWS) after my name,” Leake said. “I’m quite satisfied being right here in Colorado. I’m not seeking any other national membership.”
Leake lives in Roxborough with her husband, Mark Baisley, 50, and has three grown children - Kimberly Fitzgerald, 27, of Roxborough Village, Allan Baisley, 24, of Littleton, and Sommer Buckwalter, 25, of Aurora. Mark is currently running for state Senate in District 30.
Leake graduated from high school in 1973 in Puerto Rico and studied graphic arts and advertising at Arizona State University. She is currently seeking to complete her college watercolor course.