Dale Daniel Leys
Drawings
This site is a continuation of my original website (www.daleleys.com) designed by Wayne Bates (www.waynebates.com) starting in January 2007 through the summer of 2022. Thank you Wayne for all your years of service and Web master innovations. This current site is managed by Liz Riggs (www.lizriggsart.com).
To view previous studio works, on-site drawings, archives and videos go to (www.daleleys.com)
July 10, 1953 (this is me at 7 months old being fed by my mother. Photo by my father)
Recent Drawings
“View from Front Yard, 1313 Lawson Road Murray Ky 42071”
25”x 19”
Conte, pastel, Prismacolor, graphite on 400 weight smooth Bristol paper
2023
Detail 1
Detail 2
Detail 3
Detail 4
Source image: photo by Dale Leys
In progress 1: with preliminary drawing on legal pad.
In progress 2 : with plastic white bird resting on drawing pencils.
As of January of 2024 it will be 40 years that I have lived at the address of 1313 Lawson road in Murray Ky. 42071. Looking out from the front yard down the gravel driveway and across the street is a field with a distant tree line and rotating crops of corn, wheat and soybeans. It changes season to season and year to year but also in some ways remains comfortably the same. I love to see the many birds, deer, turkeys and sometimes foxes and coyotes passing through. I have been very fortunate to live across from this field for all these years.
The white birds in this drawing represent the passage of my life experiences at this place I lived.
For the Knowledge of Good and Evil
25”x 19”
Conte, pastel, Prismacolor, graphite, silver point, gesso,watercolor, on 400 weight smooth Bristol.
2022
Detail 1
Detail 2
Detail 3
Detail 4
Detail 5
Preliminary sketch on Post It Note
In progress : Marker on clear plastic over drawing paper
Source images : Glass apple and plastic moose
In progress : plastic moose
In progress : Glass apple
Source image from:
Animals 1,419 Copyright Free Illustrations - A Pictorial Archive from Nineteenth - Century Sources Selected by Jim Harter
Source image : Jade plant
I remember originally learning about the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the late 50’s and early 60’s in Christian grade school, associated with the images of a tree an apple and a snake. I also became familiar with this subject matter and imagery while learning about the history of Western European Art. As I thought more about this idea and did some research, I came across a quote by Douglas Stuart an Old testament scholar in an article by Daniel Hoffman https://knowingscripture.com/articles/what-was-the-tree-of-the-knowledge-of-good-and-evil-for
“Do we have more knowledge than we can morally handle ? ” This drawing is a response to the concept of “Good” and “Evil” an idea which has been around for a very long time.
“Escape from the Ark”
Size: 19”x 25”
Medium: Conte’, pastel, graphite on paper
(400 series smooth Bristol )
2022
Detail 1
Detail 2
Detail 3
Detail 4
Detail 5
Detail 6
Preliminary sketch :
black pen on yellow legal paper
Since the mid 1970’s I have never spent much effort working an idea in a sketch book, it seemed to me that there wasn’t time for that and it was more important for me to just make the drawing because the decisions would be made as the drawing developed. That being said, I realize that every one has their own process for the reasons that makes the most sense to them. This sketch was for the “Ark” drawing.
Source images
Here is the “ Cast of Characters” for the Ark drawing . One of these plastic animals, I have had since the mid 1980’s, most are more recent acquisitions as are the flat images .
As a child in Christian School we all learned of the
Noah’s Ark story. In my “Children’s” Bible there was an illustration of Noah standing on the Ark receiving an olive branch from a seagull like bird. Then as a child copying that illustration as accurately as possible and years later seeing a PBS program possibly called “Search for the Ark” which promoted the idea that the Ark would have been a round tub like design, it was time to make this drawing. The word “Escape” is important to me as it felt necessary to leave the world of ideas that defined my childhood upbringing. Just had to make that Ark drawing.