"Travelin' Shoes" by Lesley Spanos. Acrylic on 10 x 5.5" paper. Copyright ©2009, all rights reserved. This Different Strokes airport travelers challenge reminded me of Elvin Biship’s song, “Travelin’ Shoes,” which I put on repeat as I painted. These days the...

"Waiting" by Lesley Spanos. Oil on paper, 11 x 8". Copyright ©2009, all rights reserved. This is the latest from Karin Jurick’s Different Strokes From Different Folks challenge. Though I know this was a figure challenge, what really attracted my eye was the chair on the left. I...

"Chicago Lifeguard" by Lesley Spanos. Acrylic on paper, 8 x 12". Copyright ©2009, all rights reserved. Here’s the latest challenge from Karin Jurick’s Different Strokes From Different Folks. This time we’re painting a floating lifeguard on Lake Michigan. I wonder what...

"Concertgoers" by Lesley Spanos. Acrylic on paper, 7 x 11". Copyright ©2009, all rights reserved. When I saw this beautiful couple at the opening concert of the Symphony On The Prairie season, I knew I had to paint them. In honor of the Grateful Dead theme that night, he wore tie-dye,...

"She Brings Lemonade" by Lesley Spanos. Acrylic on panel, 14 x 8". Copyright ©2009, all rights reserved. She brings lemonade for her man, and water for the horses. Is it any different than when I bring my husband a beer while he’s working on his Jeep on a hot day? This is another...

"Boogie Fever" by Lesley Spanos. Gouache on paper, 5 x 9.5". Copyright ©2009, all rights reserved. I’ve long admired artist Karin Jurick’s paintings of people relaxing on the beach, so how cool is it to get to paint from one of her beach photos, with her blessing? That was...

"The Girls" by Lesley Spanos. Oil painting on 14 x 8" wood panel. © Copyright 2009 Lesley Spanos, all rights reserved. I can’t say that “Sex and the City” has ever been one of my favorite television shows. I’ve laughed at times – sometimes really hard –...

"Mystery Artist," an oil poirtrait of an unknown artist by Lesley Spanos. ©2008, all rights reserved. “?” Acrylic on Raymar canvas panel, 9 x 12″ Who is this lovely mystery woman with the bright smile? As I write this, I don’t yet know.  I was paired with her through...

“Tennessee Walker” Oil painting on gessoed Arches paper, 6 x 6″ Copyright Lesley Spanos 2008, all rights reserved. I don’t think she’s really from Tennessee. I just like the name. This is another one from Karin Jurick’s “Different Strokes From Different Folks”...

“Waiting Shadows” Oil on canvas panel, 5 x 7″ In last week’s painting of the US Capital building, I struggled with the cars, and never could get them right. So I decided I needed to do some visual research on cars. I look at cars every day, but I don’t see them. I only glance...

Barack Obama Portrait #1 Gouache on Raymar panel, 9 x 12″ Here in the US, we’re finally down to the last eight days of an election that seems to have gone on for years. Oh, wait, it HAS gone on for years! After two years of non-stop election coverage, I wonder what they’ll find to talk...

"New York Stock Exchange" a painting by Lesley Spanos, copyright 2008 “New York Stock Exchange” Acrylic painting on paper, 7.5 x 16″ Here’s another one painted for Karin Jurick’s “Different Strokes” weekly challenge. You can see her original photo...

“Somebody Save Us!” Acrylic on Multimedia Artboard (sold) My take on Karin Jurick’s photo of the week on Different Strokes from Different Folks. When I saw the image of this man reading the newspaper in Chicago, I had to make it about the senator from Illinois. I never realized how...