Review of Luc Leestemaker's abstract landscapes at Madison Gallery, La Jolla,CA

Luc Leestemaker, “Stories of My Life”

Luc Leestemaker’s “Stories of My Life” exhibition at Madison Gallery showcases a series of abstract paintings completed between 1990 -2012.  Leestemaker, originally from the Netherlands, has lived in California since 1990. His mostly large scale acrylic works heavily reference the landscape and his color palette appears to have been influenced by the light and colors distinctive of southern California. The pastel yellows, pinks, greens, and sky blues laid down with large and small sweeping brushstrokes punctuate his canvases. Deibenkorn’s palette and DeKooning’s brushwork come to mind as the viewer visually enters the often airy, loosely constructed abstract spaces that appear to have little if any horizon lines. Some works are layered with a fresco-like mixture of grainy concrete with active painterly brushstrokes, while others feature the black lines and strokes reminiscent of abstract expressionist paintings.

The title of this exhibition - “Stories of My Life” may have more to do with an overall reflection upon the lifes’ work of this recently deceased artist rather than a statement about the theme of the work shown.  This exhibition will be on view through September 15^th.