Lisa Lezell Levine &
Richelle Kaufman-Anderson
Auto-Motifs

October 6 - 28, 2023

Painting

Lisa Lezell Levine and Richelle Kaufman Anderson will present their joint exhibition of artwork based on antique classic cars in Auto-Motifs. Levine and Kaufman-Anderson are both members of Artspace with an admiration for classic and antique cars. During an the artist critique night at Artspace,  both brought in paintings of Model A and Model T cars. They decided to make a presentation at the Old Dominion Model A Ford Club monthly meeting at Sheehy Ford in  January of 2023, which Lisa and her husband David are members. The club was amazed by their work and intrigued that artists could portray antique cars in such a variety  of media. Together, they came up with an idea to display their pieces at Artspace. Members of the Old Dominion Model A Ford Club will be driving their A’s to the exhibition’s Artist Talks on Saturday, October 7.

About the artists:

Lisa Lezell Levine

Artist Statement:
Several of my acrylic paintings are traditional in approach using photographs of Model A Motifs for inspiration.  My paintings were inspired by photographs created by my  friend Ed Tepper who has photographed the Old Dominion Model A Ford Club's Cars. Displayed in this exhibition will be my interpretation of the Model A’s. I will be showcasing the many different parts of these wonderful antique cars. When painting the Model A, I was creative but at the same time there are certain structures in the car that have to be exact for instance, the proper tolerances. I went to a farm owned by one of our Model A members and I sketched Model A parts to gain a better understanding of Henry Ford’s creation. Sketching at that time I discovered a world of fascinating tools, wrenches and hubcaps that are all apart of my display. One of my objectives in this show was to make every part exact but also innovative. As a result I have used different angles and perspectives in all of my paintings to make this basic car an explosion of color and a variety of techniques. In addition, I have used photo projection of my original watercolors and projected them into a larger format which is displayed in the show. I then painted over the projection with acrylics to create a new piece with the underlined photograph showing through in some parts of the paintings. It has been my hope to provide you the viewer the endless possibilities that can be created visually from this basic car.
— Lisa Lezell Levine, 2023

Biography:
A native of Detroit, Michigan, Lisa Lezell Levine is a Richmond artist who taught art to  High School and Elementary students in Richmond and Henrico Public Schools for  over 30 years. Lisa graduated from Syracuse University, Master of Arts in Visual  Communication and Illustration, a BFA in Textile Design from Rhode Island School of  Design and a BA in education from Simmons College, Boston MA. In 2008 she  received the Southeastern Region Elementary Art Educator of the Year Award from the  National Art Education Association. Lisa has been very active in the greater Richmond  community- She had her own design studio, taught children at various public schools,  held charity shows, and exhibited in galleries all over the city including United Network  for Organ Sharing (UNOS), Weinstein Jewish Community Center (JCC), Richmond  Public Library (Downtown), Montpelier Center for Arts and Education,Westminster  Canterbury and Artspace. As active as she has been, she's concentrating on polishing and refining a more introspective message in our challenging and changing world. An active member of Artspace Lisa is currently Co-Chairing the Member Recruitment and Resources Committee.  

Lisa’s most recent exhibitions are listed here.  

Spring to Life, Montpelier Center for Arts and Education, 5 person exhibition  Richmond VA (2022) 

Celebrate Good Times!, Weinstein JCC, Sara D. November Gallery, 3 person  exhibition Richmond VA (2022) 

City Street Life, Seen by Three, Richmond Public Library, 3 person exhibition  Richmond VA (2021) 

Delineation, Westminster Canterbury, The H. Scott November Gallery, Solo  exhibition, Richmond VA ( 2021) 

Hope, Peoplehood and the Five Legs, Curator and participating Artist, The Weinstein  JCC, Richmond VA, Sara D. November Gallery ( 2020) 

Website: lisalezelllevine.com
Instagram: @Lisalevineart

Richelle Kaufman-Anderson

Artist Statement:
My love of antique cars began at a young age. My father and brother were exotic car collectors and as a result I also began to develop not only a love of the artistic aesthetic but as a collector myself. 

My background is in medicine and when I returned to school to study art as applied to medicine and later taught anatomy, I began to look at the automobile in a different light. I began to view it almost as an anatomical art form. 

Teaching anatomy (human body), I began to measure out each part of the automobile that I had an interest in painting and I had found the measurements were exactly the same — each fender, bumper, window had to align perfectly, very much as with the human body. 

Biography:
My background is in medicine where I graduated with a Masters Degree in the field of Chemistry from Temple University, and for many years I worked in Pharmaceutical Research with the firm Technimed.

In 1993 I chose to return to school with a goal of entering the field of Medical Illustration, and was accepted into the combination five year program at the Pennsylvania Academy of Art and the University of Pennsylvania where I was awarded a Bachelor of Fine Arts. I began an apprenticeship with Frank Bender who was one of the first Forensic Facial reconstructive artists in the United States, where my initial goal of Medical Illustration became Forensic Facial reconstruction as well as taking a certification in facial composite drawing with Carrie Stuart Parks. I find myself fortunate to have worked on several high profile cases as well as being able to bring closure to many families after skeletal remains were identified, not to solve cases, but to bring closure to families long awaiting news of missing loved ones.

Most importantly for me has been the experiences of utilizing my art in order to help others.
I feel that has been my greatest achievement.
I was able to become a part of the “Lost Dreams on Canvas” program where several artists would reach out to the inner city population plagued with extreme violence, in order to encourage them to put their weapons down. Being “cool” can be achieved through the arts, not violence. I have worked in the past as well as the present with the forgotten elderly population residing in the city run nursing homes and finally have worked with the mentally challenged.