spotlight

Young artist profile: Leah “Jesse” Marie Peck

Age: 27

Born in Hamburg, Germany. Lived and traveled in Europe with family until 10 years old.

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Art, Gonzaga University, May 2003.

Business: Peck and her husband, Robert Seale, opened Southpaw Newsstand/Studio 901 at 901 W. Garland Ave. in October 2003. It is an alternative newsstand, gift shop and art gallery. Her studio is in the back of the shop.

Current show: “Nest: A Selection of Recent Still Lives” at Studio 901 through May 25. View the work Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Her style: Peck works in realistic style, primarily with oil on canvas. She paints still lives that vary from small nests to car mufflers.

“I pick subjects based on their beauty and interest to me,” Peck said. “I set up one light source to create strong directional light in the composition. I never work from photographs as I feel it flattens the space and leads to a painting with far less depth and interest.”

What’s ahead: As a mother of two boys (Shanen, 7, and Jaime, 1) and co-owner of a small business, she fits “art into my busy life whenever I can.”

In the next few years Peck plans to make, show and sell her work; build a strong portfolio; and eventually attend graduate school for a Master of Fine Arts in painting with the goal of teaching art at the college level.

Influences: “I am influenced greatly by my painting professor Robert Gilmore and printmaking professor Mary Farrell. Historical figures in art that have influenced my work include Vermeer, Manet, Chardin, the Dutch School, the late 19th century French painters, as well as the 1970s Feminist Movement in the United States.”

Studio 901 Web site: http://barney.gonzaga.edu/~seale

Julianne Crane