There\u2019s a warmth that exudes from Leslie Barlow \u2026 there a genuineness \u2026 it\u2019s authentic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s that warmth and authenticity, which shines though in her creations, that is drawing people to the works of the 29-year-old emerging artist. If she were in the culinary arts Barlow\u2019s works would fall under the category of elevated comfort food. Almost anyone can make an egg; there are few who can imagine and pull off a crab, lobster, sea bass and scallop omelet. The latter is Barlow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Barlow\u2019s emergence in the art community almost didn\u2019t happen \u2026 and is a tale of why representation matters. Although one of the earliest photos of Barlow \u2013 at age two or three \u2013 is of her standing next to an easel, she didn\u2019t grow up envisioning a career as an artist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t until I was in college that I considered art as a career path. I don\u2019t know about you, but I didn\u2019t know any artist, so it was hard for me to envision it as a job,\u201d said Barlow. \u201cIt was in college that people were like, \u2018You\u2019re pretty good at this. This shouldn\u2019t be just a hobby for you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With that suggestion Barlow majored in fine arts and graduated with her bachelor\u2019s from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 2011. After graduation she accepted an unpaid internship with the Soap Factory, a contemporary art gallery in Minneapolis. Although not paid monetarily, the artist who works primarily in oil, but now incorporates textiles, drawing and photo transfer into her works, said she was paid in experience and exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt gave me support of the artist community and being exposed to other artists,\u201d said Barlow. \u201cIt made me more comfortable in showing my own work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still not where she wanted to be professionally, Barlow enrolled in a master\u2019s program, eventually earning her master\u2019s from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI wanted to reach a wider audience and have a larger impact. I wanted to talk about more complex issues like race and identity and I wasn\u2019t there yet in my maturity,\u201d explained Barlow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Barlow\u2019s most recent work, \u201cQuiet Enigmas and Familiar Love\u201d does just that. The collection of portraits captures members of Barlow\u2019s family in everyday life, focusing on the multi-ethnic family dynamic. The collection will be on display beginning April 17 with an opening from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at The Gallery Minneapolis at Le Meridien Chambers Hotel in downtown Minneapolis, 901 Hennepin Ave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n