| Ilese Levitt ~ Photography, Polymer Clay, Paper Craft and Mixed Media Creativity is my spark of life. Creativity awakens within me my sense of purpose. Art is like food for me. I have to have it in order to sustain myself. Ilese Levitt grew up in the Ozarks of Missouri, spending her days roaming the woods with her boxer dog. In those deep virgin forests were many fantastical beings. Fantasy has played a big part in Ilese's wild imagination. A love of the riotous colors of gardens in spring plays out in the luscious colors of her polymer clay work. Before becoming addicted to polymer clay and mixed media, Ilese traveled to many exotic places, capturing with her photography, amazing flowers and gardens. One can see the influences of Hawaii, the Berkshires of New England, Nova Scotia, Tuscany and the Sonoran Desert in her color schemes and designs. Polymer clay is a wonderful medium with which to create art that expresses that whimsy of fantasy, color and the flora world. It is perfect for mixed media creations, incorporating elements of wood, metal and stone that connect us with our natural environments and spiritual plane. With each piece, inspiration dances with spiritual balancing. Her work has shown at the Hatcher House Gallery in Phoenix, the One Oh One Gallery in Mesa, AZ, the Mighty Cup Coffeehouse & Spoon Gallery in Glendale, AZ, the Fortney Hotel in Viroqua, Wisconsin, and Riverview Restaurant in Ogunquit, Maine. She has participated in numerous Art Walks and Arts and Crafts Fairs from Maine to Arizona. Teaching is a great love, and Ilese has taught many workshops and classes for young people, adults and individuals with special learning abilities. Clay is such a wonderful media in which to work and it lends itself so perfectly to a great range of creative talents and abilities. |
