Jeff Legg

I was born and raised in the Midwest, from Minnesota to Missouri. I spent most of my youth exploring the field and forests that surrounded me. I was drawn there, and I began to appreciate the wonders of nature and that beauty is found everywhere. I realize now that I marveled at things that so many would not define as “pretty” – a toad, a salamander, an empty turtle shell, or a twisted tree root. I was in awe of the sublime.

​Early in life, my mother introduced me to the finer things. She was a talented vocalist and often sang in church and on local radio programs. As a young boy I was required to attend classical orchestral performances and concerts with her. In my mind there was a connection between music and the paintings and drawings I had seen in books by master artists like Rembrandt and Wyeth. Visual poetry if you will.

​I realized there is something amazing, even magical about simple lines and shapes arranged on paper or canvas that were somehow filled with light, life, and mystery.

I felt that art could somehow be our Creator’s voice working through His creation to show us there is something more out there – something beyond this world.

Making paintings is all about the light.

Without light there is nothing. In my work as a painter I hope, in some small way, to illuminate eternal truths that every man who has “an eye to see” cannot deny. Not to say all art must be narrative. Painting an object whether it be a humble well-used copper pot or a beautiful vase can be elevated to a higher level or even a spiritual perspective.

The things we often take for granted are filled with worlds within worlds of beauty and nuance. The “sublime” can be found in the smallest seemingly insignificant object or the grandest scene. It’s all in how the artist eye sees it.