The Villages - January 2021 - 4

{ FOR THE

Love

OF ART }

P E G G Y

L E F E B V R E

Paints Portraits Through
Memory & Emotion
STORY BY RICA KEENUM | PHOTOS BY BRANDON AT WELL
How do you capture a snowflake or
transfer the essence of a rainbow onto
paper? Putting real life on a twodimensional surface is a difficult part
of creating. Watercolor artist Peggy
Lefebvre says learning the technical
aspects is important, but there's so
much more to consider.
" To be able to define what's important to you, " she said. " I take thousands
of photographs but I don't rush home and
paint them because I want the images to ferment
in my mind. I think, 'What was my take away? What
do I remember about the image?' I don't want to paint
the photo. "
Lefebvre's watercolor works convey emotion,
movement and mood. To replicate a face is simple, but
portraying a person's energy and character is her goal.
And while her work has evolved over the years, she's
always had a passion for art.

" IMPROMPTU ARIA "
4

JANUARY 2021

" From the time I held my first crayon, it
was what I wanted to do with my life, "
she said. After earning a bachelor of
fine arts degree from The University
of Illinois, Lefebvre began working in
the advertising field.
" I wasn't painting or doing fine art,
but when I sold my agency and retired
in 2001, I took up watercolor painting
again, " she said. " We were in Italy so what
you see on the walls here is a historic walk
though my art history. " She motions to the framed
pieces displayed in her home.
" They represent different periods of my life. The
winters are dreadful in Italy, so I spent a lot of time
indoors working on my art. "
While known for its culture, architecture and
cuisine, Italy didn't offer Lefebvre any learning
experiences, so she took what she could from art books.
" It really didn't come to fruition in a robust way until I came to The Villages, " she said.
" I guarantee you there's no better
place for learning and keeping you
A woman
energized and inspired as an artist.
sings from her
The way they teach watercolor is
balcony in Italy.
very intense and focused, so you can
work through the techniques more
quickly and get on to producing
more beautiful work. "
The fluid nature of watercolor
paint makes it a difficult medium to
master, but the process of learning has
been a worthy endeavor for Lefebvre.
" When you have the technical
stuff under control, you can say
what you want to say through your
art - that's very satisfying to the
artist, " she said.
For the past five years, Lefebvre
has focused on faces. " People and

The Villages - January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Villages - January 2021