Acknowledging Laurinel Owen for creating a stunning original cello song for the audio version of Midnight Rainbows, A Memoir and Leslie Karpinski for her beautiful art work that is the book’s cover.
Laurinel Owen moved to Long Island from South Africa. She was principal cellist with the National Symphony Orchestra in Johannesburg having arrived there via Mexico City and Edinburgh where she played in major ensembles. Musical adventures have taken her throughout much of the US, Europe, South America, southern Africa and China. She is the artistic director of South Country Concerts, a chamber music series. Laurinel also writes and has had over 130 articles and a biography of cellist Bernard Greenhouse published. Her memoir, Strings Attached; Married to a Bigamist with Nazi Ties will come out in July 2024 published by Koehler Books..
North Carolina native Leslie Karpinski has spent her lifetime painting, drawing, and creating as an artist. With a formal education from East Carolina University from the Painting and Drawing Department, Leslie’s work is an exploration of her love for the outdoors, geometry, color and surface of the canvas. Her work is in many regional corporations and private collections. She has taught classes for adults and children in painting, drawing, mixed media, surface-design, soft-sculpture, and has conducted workshops on creativity. She is currently painting a body of work which explores hiking trails, mountains and eastern coastal areas. Her love for green spaces inspires the subject matter in her work and the materials used in the creative process add to the style and energy one sees in her paintings.
Artist Statement: As I continue to evolve as an artist, I pay close attention to where I have traveled and where I stand in the present moment. On this journey, I have discovered being outdoors stimulates the mind, warms the heart, and gives one respect for all the natural beauty around us. The sounds, colors, smells, and touch of nature leave me with a visual memory which energizes my soul to create paintings that speak to my heart. When I was a kid, I loved climbing high into the big oak trees, painting large bright colored flowers at school, and designing rock gardens in the back of our family home. I enjoyed learning about plants and allowed my love for nature to inspire my work.
When I paint, spontaneity, energy, and endless time are felt. I bring my work to life using palette knives, scratching tools, spray bottles, various textured materials for pressing in paints, and using other repurposed items. Splattering paint, spraying, scratching and wiping away layers, and putting my fingers in the paint and reveal my inner child. As an artist, my love for the earth will continue to influence my art and the artwork I produce will convey this message and fulfill my life’s purpose.